A Journey Through Middle-Earth
by The Chuckinator
Summary: One day while at a bookstore, Shadow and Sonic meet each other while looking for a book to read. They come across The Lord of the Rings and are sucked into the novel. Once there, they get a hold of the One Ring and must destroy it before Sauron returns to his full power, or all will be lost. RP with Fangs of Lightning.
1. A Meeting in the Bookstore

A Journey Through Middle-Earth

by Fangs of Lightning and The Chuckinator

Chapter 1: A Meeting in the Bookstore

Sonic was running through Station Square, on the way back to his house. He stopped by Barnes and Noble and walked inside, looking for something to read. Inside, Shadow was leafing through the pages of some book. The cover set it off as a romance novel. With a look of disgust, he returned the to its place on the shelf. Shadow went to the horror section and looked through it but was surprised to see Sonic in the store also.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you read," he said, picking another book from the shelf.

Sonic looked up. "Yeah, sometimes I do. So, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Just got time off from missions a baby could handle." Shadow returned that book as well.

"Sounds cool," Sonic said. "Eggman hasn't been threatening to destroy Earth lately, so I've been taking a break also."

"So you're trying to find something to pass the time with?" Shadow turned to really look at him. "What kind of things do you usually read?"

"I mostly like fantasy but also horror, mystery and suspense," he said, scanning the books. He saw a novel by Frank Peretti, a horror author, and picked it out, starting to read it.

"Seems we do have other things in common," Shadow muttered.

Sonic looked up at him, then nodded and went back to reading. Shadow looked at the book curiously and saw that it was called "House" by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. He cleared his throat. Sonic grinned and went to the fantasy section, looking around for another book.

"What kinds of books do you like, Shadow?"

Shadow shrugged, following him. "Whatever catches my interest, I guess. Sometimes, I like romance. Other times, I like adventure or horror. It has to have a good plot, at least."

Sonic looked at him and smiled.

"What are you looking for in this aisle?"

"Just a good fantasy novel," Sonic said.

"How about...this one?" Shadow pulled a book off the shelf. The title gave it away as a collection of girl's fairy tales. Shadow realized this and quickly pushed it back in.

Sonic looked at him and blushed. "R...really, Shads?"

"I just pulled one out." Shadow's face had flushed as well. "Not my fault that book was sitting there."

Sonic turned away and chuckled, then pulled one out about King Arthur. "This reminds me of that time I went to Camelot," he said. "I beat the villain, and became king."

"You became a king?" Shadow asked, and raised an eyebrow. He'd never heard of this before. "Sure you didn't dream it?"

"That's right...I never told you," Sonic said. He told his tale to Shadow and when he was finished, Shadow looked at him in awe.

"That's actually pretty amazing, Sonic." Shadow gave him a minor smile. "Ever wish you could go back there? See your loyal subjects again?"

Sonic thought about it and nodded.

"So, what do you miss the most?" Shadow was genuinely curious. Sonic had to have something in particular he missed about the place. "Unless you don't want to share."

"Well...to tell you the truth...everything. I really grew to like it there, and the knights...reminded me a lot of the people here because they looked a lot like them. Even Lancelot looked exactly like you."

"Lancelot, huh." Shadow smiled. "I think I like that."

Sonic nodded and blushed. "So do I." Immediately, his eyes widened and he turned away. "S...sorry."

Shadow stared at him. Confused as he was, he decided not to bother Sonic. He hated when people did it to him, after all. Instead, he resumed looking through the shelf.

"Cool, Lord of the Rings," Sonic said, holding a few books. Shadow looked at him.

"Lord of the Rings? Why not?" Shadow took the first from Sonic's hands and opened it. Inside, there was nothing but an oval glowing a dark purple. "Sonic? Something's wrong with this book."

Sonic's eyes widened as a bright glow came from the book. He and Shadow screamed in pain and suddenly vanished. The book dropped to the floor and slammed shut.


	2. Landing in Middle-Earth

Chapter 2: Landing in Middle-Earth

Shadow woke later with no idea where they were. He shook Sonic as his gaze swept the area for anything threatening.

"What...where are we? What happened?" Sonic asked as he got up.

"I assume the book sucked us into its pages." Shadow wasn't looking at him, keeping his gaze elsewhere. It would be a bad idea to let his guard down, that much he was certain of. "That would mean, we've landed somewhere in Middle Earth."

Sonic's eyes widened. "That's...cool," he said. "But weird also. What are we going to do?"

Shadow snorted. Like he'd know what to do in this place. "You're the one with experience. You tell me."

"I haven't read this book in a while," Sonic said. "But we can't stay in one place. Let's explore for a bit and see where we are."

Shadow nodded and stood. If anything happened, at least he knew Sonic could defend himself. The two walked around for a long while before reaching what appeared to be a village of some kind. Shadow looked at Sonic for assistance.

"Do we talk to the locals, or mind our own business?"

Sonic shrugged. "We could talk to the locals, I suppose, and find out where we are."

Shadow looked around for a sign of anyone. Nobody was in the current area. His frown grew larger as he walked into the village. The sounds of a party reached his ears. He hated parties. Once they found the villagers, he pulled one aside.

"Where are we?" He asked.

The villager looked at him. "You're in the Shire," he said.

"The Shire?" Shadow looked at Sonic. "Isn't that where everything started? Why are we here, if the story's going to go on just how it's supposed to?"

"I'm not sure," Sonic said. "Well, we could go on another adventure, I suppose. It will be fun."

"What kind of an adventure? What if something happens and we end up with the ring? That wouldn't be a good thing."

"Well...since we're in the book, we might as well go along with the story."

"So, what do we do? Follow Frodo around? Or take the ring and do it ourselves?" Shadow was unimpressed with both ideas. Either way, it would be a while before they could leave.

Sonic thought about it. "I am not sure. Perhaps we could take the Ring ourselves. What do you think we should do?"

"Take the ring, and get the job done." Shadow said it without hesitation. "We know how the story goes, we know what must be done. So let's do it."

"I agree," Sonic said. "The ring must be around here somewhere. I'm pretty sure that it's in Bilbo's house, so let's go."

The two set off for the house they remembered as being Bilbo's. In no time at all, they'd entered the house and discovered the ring. Shadow let Sonic hold onto it. Now all they had to do was leave the Shire, and go on a grand adventure full of action, near-death experiences, and a dash of...Shadow shook the thought from his mind. Some things were allowed. Others, not so much.

"I think I'll let you lead. You have the ring, after all."

Sonic nodded and walked out the door, followed by Shadow. The two looked at each other and smiled, then ran off, looking forward to this new adventure.


	3. Nazgul

Chapter 3: Nazgul

Shadow quickly grew tired of this world. It seemed like every turn they made had a hungry beast of some kind waiting to eat walking, talking hedgehogs. Not to mention the monsters called by the ring. Shadow had just killed another when he decided to comment.

"I thought things were supposed to progress slower than this. You just got the damn thing."

Sonic looked at him and nodded, looking at the ring. He sighed and shook his head.

"Who were those people Frodo got help from? Maybe we should find them."

"Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and some others? Yeah, we could do that."

Shadow sighed. There was just one problem. "How? We can't just wander around and hope we come across them."

Sonic thought about it then smiled. "If we go to Rivendell, Elrond might be able to help."

Shadow nodded. "All right. Which way to Rivendell?" He hated to admit it, but he was completely lost.

Sonic looked around; he wasn't sure either. "We just left the Shire, so...it's east of here, I think. How about we just go to Bree and ask for directions? If we follow this road, it will take us there."

Shadow nodded. If Sonic knew the general direction, then he was going to trust him.

"Bree it is."

"Alright," Sonic said.

The two continued walking down the road. Sonic sighed and looked at the One Ring, thinking of the burden he had to bear. It was his responsibility now; he had to destroy it. He looked at Shadow, who glanced at him.

"I'll stay with you all the way. Like Sam." Shadow knew how much of a burden that ring was going to be. If he could help Sonic in any way, he'd do it. He turned his gaze back to the road in front of them as they continued walking.

Suddenly, a loud screech could be heard. The two looked at each other and immediately looked around for a place to hide, then jumped into a ditch in the roar. A few minutes later, a horse with a Black Rider appeared and jumped down. Sonic could hear the ring and closed his eyes, struggling to put the ring on his finger.

Shadow stared at him. He put his hand on Sonic's.

"Won't that tell the creature where you are?" he whispered, hoping the rider couldn't hear him. "It's drawn to the ring's power, isn't it?" Part of him said they ought to run from it; surely they were fast enough.

Sonic gulped as the ring continued getting near his ring finger. Shadow looked at him and then back to the Black Rider; there had to be some way to distract him.

A rock to the side caught his attention. Shadow shrugged. It was better than nothing. Cautiously, he grabbed it and threw it as hard as he could back down the way they'd came. The rock hit a few trees and finally frightened a deer, which ran off. The Black Rider took the bait, hopping back onto his horse and riding in that direction. Shadow had the feeling he wouldn't be distracted for long.

"Come on." He grabbed Sonic's arm and pulled him back onto the road. Their speed would be enough to put some distance between them and the Black Rider.

They ran off at a fast pace, getting some distance between the Rider. Eventually night fell, and they continued walking through the forest. Sonic sighed and looked at the ring; he could already feel it beginning to take hold of him.

Shadow glanced at Sonic.

"What's with the sigh?"

"The ring...it's only been a day, and I can already feel its power beginning to take hold of me," Sonic told him.

Shadow frowned. He was certain that a single day was much too fast. "Come on, you're a hero. Nothing's swayed you from that before. Don't let a ring do it."

Sonic shrugged. "We better get going," he said.

Shadow nodded. A few minutes later, he heard more screeches and saw the more Nazgul were around. "I already hate those things," Shadow said. He had no idea how to get rid of them. Sonic was already fighting the ring, and he was being useless. Growling wouldn't do any good, but he felt better after doing it.

He looked at Sonic and ran off. Sonic followed him too but the Nazgul heard and started chasing them. A few feet away, they saw a river and a raft attached to it. Shadow's mood brightened a little at the sight. If they used that, it would make things harder on their pursers.

"How good are you with rafts, Sonic?"

"Not sure," Sonic said. "But it's better than nothing."

He jumped onto the raft with Shadow and they quickly untied the rope, then sailed away. One of the Nazgul stopped at the edge of the water and let out a loud shriek.

"Looks like it worked," Shadow said. "How do we steer this thing?"

Sonic looked around and saw oars on the raft, picking one up and tossing another one to Shadow. He put the oar in the water and started paddling. Shadow smiled and did the same thing as the raft floated down the river.


	4. The Prancing Pony

Chapter 4: The Prancing Pony  


They'd been going for a while before they finally landed. Shadow and Sonic got off the raft and Shadow looked around. He still had no idea where they were. Their surroundings looked the same as earlier to him. Not to mention, they'd been up all night, working their arms with those paddles. One of them was bound to need some sleep. They yawned and saw lights in the distance.

"That must be Bree," Sonic said, and looked to Shadow. "Come on; let's see if they have an inn that we can stay at."

Shadow started walking toward town with Sonic. Halfway there, he realized yet another problem. "How are we going to pay for it? I don't think our currency's going to work here."

Sonic frowned and pulled out his wallet, looking through the dollar bills. "You're right," he said, and put the wallet back in his quills. "We'll think of something."

Shadow nodded and the two went into Bree, going in the Prancing Pony. Sonic went up to the desk and saw a man behind the counter.

"Excuse me," he said. "We'd like to rent a room for the night."

Shadow stopped behind Sonic, looking around the room. There were a lot of people here, mostly drinking. that made him a little nervous. They shouldn't stay around drunk people for too long. He looked at the man behind the counter, who seemed to be having some difficulties deciding what to tell Sonic. Shadow shifted his weight as the man checked something in front of him.

Soon, the human looked up with a smile on his face. "There's one available, if you can afford it."

"Okay," Sonic said. "How much is it?"

The man gave the hedgehogs the price, which came to around twenty dollars. Shadow looked to Sonic. He was the one who said he'd figure something out. Sonic took out his wallet and handed the man the money. He nodded and gave them a key to their room. A few minutes later, the two went into the next room and sat down, but noticed someone was staring at them.

"Excuse me," Sonic asked the innkeeper. "Who is that man over there?"

"Aragorn," the innkeeper said. "I don't think you want to get involved with him."

Shadow looked at Sonic and sighed. He had been hoping they could've gotten some sleep. But if they'd just found Aragorn, then they'd have to talk to him. So long as it didn't lead to Sonic getting stabbed in the shoulder, he'd be fine.

"I'll go talk to him," Sonic said. He stood up but slipped on a puddle of water. The ring was thrown from his hand as he fell on the ground, and it landed on his finger. He vanished instantly.

He stood up and looked around but his eyes widened as he saw Sauron. Sonic gasped and took off the ring, but was then grabbed by Aragorn. "Come with me," he said, and led Sonic upstairs.

Shadow was on his feet the moment Sonic had vanished. Anger flared up within him as he saw Aragorn grab sonic. He'd told Sonic he wasn't going to leave him, and he didn't intend to do it now. he followed them up the stairs and pushed the door open before it had a chance to fully close. Seeing Sonic all right, he calmed down. Hopefully, no one had noticed his sudden flare of emotion. He leveled a small glare at Aragorn.

"You could've just said something," Shadow said. "No need to grab him like that."

Aragorn looked at him and Sonic curiously. "Who are you two people?" He asked.

Sonic looked at Shadow, and then to Aragorn. "My name is Sonic," he said. "This is Shadow."

Aragorn continued to looked at them curiously. Shadow had his arms crossed, usual expression back in place.

"What are you doing with that ring?" Aragorn asked.

Sonic hesitated and glanced nervously at Shadow.

"We found it," Shadow lied. "Why? Is something wrong with it?"

"That is the One Ring," Aragorn said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "It is very evil, and must be destroyed. I can tell you are lying, so tell me the truth."

Shadow should've known he'd be able to tell.

"We took it," Shadow said. "From a hobbit living in the Shire." He looked at Sonic nervously. Should they tell him all of it?

Sonic looked at Shadow and nodded. "Tell him," he said.

"We were in a bookstore, and ran into each other. After talking for a few minutes, Sonic had picked up The Lord of the Rings. I took it from him, and found some kind of purple glowing oval. We wound up here, close to the Shire. There's only really one adventure to go on in this story. So we decided to follow it." Shadow looked at Sonic, who nodded again. "We took the ring, intending to bring it to Mordor and destroy it. But we couldn't do it by ourselves. We were intending to go to Rivendell, and see if the elves could help at all."

In the back of his mind, Shadow believed the human thought he was crazy.

Aragorn thought about it. "So, you are from another world?"

Sonic nodded. "Yes, from the planet Earth."

"I believe you. But if you intend to destroy the ring, we need to move. You could be in..."

Outside the inn, loud shrieks could be heard. Shadow grimaced. He really hated those things.

"If they stab you, I'm going to kill you," he told Sonic. The last thing he wanted was for Sonic to get stabbed and nearly die.

The hedgehogs ran from the room, following Aragorn's lead.

"What are they?" Sonic asked Aragorn as they ran into another room. He could hear the Nazgul enter the inn.

"They were men," he said. "Now, they are neither living nor dead. The power of the One Ring draws them to it." Aragorn looked at the two. "As you should know, they'll never stop hunting you."

The two hedgehogs looked at each other in fear and then back to Aragorn. They heard more angry shrieks and looked out the window to see the Nazgul ride away. Sonic sighed and lay on a bed, closing his eyes to rest. Shadow went to lay next to Sonic, but changed his mind. There was more than one bed in the room. Unless, of course, Aragorn wanted it.

"You going to use that?" he asked, pointing at the bed.

Aragorn shook his head. Shadow sighed in relief and threw himself onto the bed. In no time at all, he was drifting into sleep.


	5. The Way to Rivendell

Chapter 5: The Way to Rivendell

The next morning, Shadow woke up and looked at Sonic, who was still sleeping. A smile came to his face and he blushed at the sight of the sleeping hedgehog. Without giving any thought to anyone else who might be in the room, Shadow moved over to Sonic's bed and looked down at him. He was sprawled out across the covers. Shadow let a small laugh escape him. It was a good thing he'd chosen to sleep in the other bed. Sonic would've kicked him or something. Shadow laid a hand on the side of Sonic's face; emotions were running through his head. Sonic looked so cute like this, and handsome as well. Maybe, if he were fast enough, nobody would know.

The blush still burning on his face, Shadow fully leaned over the other hedgehog and pressed their mouths together for a moment. Sonic felt something against his lips and his eyes opened, widening in shock at the sight of Shadow kissing him. Shadow saw this and immediately broke the kiss.

"I..." Shadow turned away from him, face feeling hotter than before. "S-Sorry."

Sonic sat up in the bed, watching Shadow.

"Shadow," Sonic said, blushing also. "I...why'd you do that? It was unexpected."

"I'm not sure," Shadow said. "I saw you sleeping, and I just...it just sort of happened."

Sonic grinned and got out of bed. "Acting on impulse, eh? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on me."

Shadow looked at him and nodded. "For a while," he admitted. "What about you? Anything?"

The blush on Sonic's face returned. "Yeah, I do."

Shadow stood there, uncertain of what to do next. He'd never fallen in love before, much less had them return his love.

"So, what's next?" Shadow looked around the room curiously. "And where did Aragorn go?"

"We head for Rivendell," Sonic told him. "As for Aragorn..." He walked up to Shadow. "He can wait a while."

With that, he pressed his lips against Shadow's. Shadow's eyes widened a moment before he pressed his face closer to Sonic's. His eyes fell closed as he did so, arms gently wrapped around Sonic's waist. A few seconds later, a loud cough was heard. The two hedgehogs saw Aragorn staring at them and broke apart instantly.

"We were just..." For the second time since waking up, Shadow didn't know what to say. Nervously, he rubbed his upper arm. "Uh..."

Aragorn nodded, knowing full well what they were doing. "I'm perfectly fine with that. Anyway, we should get going. Rivendell is a five day journey from here."

Shadow felt all his nervousness leave him. It would take five days to reach Rivendell. After that, who knew. "Won't we need things on the way?"

Aragorn thought about it and nodded, then spoke. "That's what I was doing," he said. "I trusted the two of you not to wander off while I was gone."

He tossed a pack at each of the hedgehogs. Shadow peered inside his. There, he found everything they'd be needing on their trip to Rivendell. Sonic nodded. He and Shadow looked at each other and then followed Aragorn out of the inn. They began on their way to Rivendell, Sonic and Shadow following close behind the Ranger. Shadow only hoped Sonic didn't arrive in the same condition as Frodo had.

They left the town of Bree and walked into the wilderness. Sonic and Shadow just hoped that none of the Nazgul would attack them on their way to Rivendell.

"So, how exactly are we going to get there?" Shadow asked. "Wouldn't elves have something up to keep outsiders from their land? I mean, they might know who you are, but we're complete strangers."

"I will speak with them," Aragorn said.

Shadow looked at Sonic. He knew Aragorn could get them into Rivendell. What he was worried about was whether or not the elves would trust them.

"How do you think this is going to play out?" he asked Sonic. "I'm not sure I want to deal with everything that happened to Frodo."

Sonic thought about it and shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe some events will be changed. What do you think?"

"I'm hoping events will be changed," Shadow said. "Frodo went through a lot to get the ring there. I don't want to see you go through the same things. Not sure I'd want to run into Gollum, either." Shadow tried to keep his eyes on Aragorn. The man was leading them where they needed to go. The last thing he wanted was to get lost again.

"Let's hope so," Sonic said.

Aragorn had been leading them all day. Night was beginning to fall. Shadow watched the stars and moon come into the night sky as he walked. He kept his gaze on the sky until he started to get dizzy from looking up. Looking down, he realized Aragorn had stopped walking.

"Where are we?" Sonic asked.

"We should stop and rest," Aragorn said. Shadow looked around. There wasn't anything nearby. "It's not the most ideal location for sleep when something's after you, but it's the best we've got. Chose a spot and go to sleep. I'll keep lookout first."

Sonic nodded and walked around, looking for a place to sleep. He saw a few trees and lay against it, closing his eyes to sleep.

Hoping the other wouldn't mind too much, Shadow joined him. Aragorn found a spot where he could keep an eye on them as well as check their surroundings.

"I'll keep watch," he said, looking at Shadow. "Make sure the Nazgul don't attack."

Shadow nodded.

"All right." Wrapping his arms around Sonic, he lay his head on Sonic's shoulder. "Good night."

"Good night, Shadow," Sonic murmured, and went to sleep.

Shadow got comfortable and soon fell asleep. Aragorn kept his eyes on the surrounding area. he couldn't let the strange hedgehogs down. They wouldn't have a chance on their own. Not with the ring in their possession. Doing things in another world couldn't be easy on them. He chuckled and looked at them, then continued to keep watch.


	6. Elrond's Help

Chapter 6: Elrond's Help

It was nearly morning when Aragorn heard something. It was barely there; anyone else wouldn't have picked up on it. He frowned and looked at the two sleeping hedgehogs, then strained his ears, wondering what that sound was. It could've been a small animal wandering. If it was worrying him, he figured he must've needed sleep more than he'd thought. Nevertheless, Aragorn got ready for anything. The sound came again, this time closer. Aragorn got to his feet and drew his sword.

Sonic and Shadow stirred and saw Aragorn's sword drawn.

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"I'm not sure," Aragorn said. He looked around the area. Shadow had gotten up then.

"Something threatening?"

Aragorn shrugged.

Shadow looked in the same direction as Aragorn. If it was one of those riders again, Shadow wasn't sure what to do. Aragorn motioned for the hedgehogs to wait for him and set off in the direction of the sounds. Sonic and Shadow followed him but then heard the shrieks of the Nazgul. Shadow turned to see the Nazgul behind them.

"Dammit," he said. "Not those guys again."

The Nazgul hissed and advanced towards them. Shadow put an arm in front of Sonic protectively. He knew Sonic could defend himself, but he couldn't help himself.

"How do we kill it?" he asked. "We haven't got any weapons."

Sonic looked at Shadow. "What about our homing attacks?"

Shadow didn't give Sonic a response. Instead, he ran forward before launching himself at the Nazgul. Mid-air, he curled into a ball and slammed into it with full force. The Nazgul screeched but the homing attack had no effect. He growled in anger. Shadow looked up at him from his crouched position on the ground. He tried again, once again not affecting it. All he did was make it angrier. Sonic tried but nothing happened. He could feel the pull of the ring, and pulled it from his quills, looking at it. The Nazgul turned to him and advanced, drawing a small knife.

Shadow didn't hesitate. He ran forward, pushing Sonic to the ground.

"Put that away," he said. "You don't need it out right now." Shadow went to take the ring from Sonic's hand.

Sonic suddenly felt angry and pulled his hand back, then put the ring back in his quills. He saw the Nazgul behind Shadow and gasped.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He turned to look at the Nazgul. Its knife came down on his shoulder, stabbing into him. Pain erupted in his shoulder as he gasped. Moving his hand to it's arm, he tried to move the knife away.

"SHADOW!" Sonic yelled.

The black hedgehog gasped in pain as the Nazgul pulled the knife out and Shadow fell to the ground, unconscious. Sonic was frozen in fear as the Nazgul screeched and fled.

"What happened?" Aragorn asked. He was running over to the two of them. Dropping next to Shadow, he examined the wound.

"Shadow...Shadow took the hit for me," Sonic said as he started to cry. "Will he be okay?"

Aragorn continued looking at Shadow's shoulder.

"Perhaps," Aragorn said. "If we can get him to Rivendell. They'll be able to cure him there. All I can do is stall the process."

Sonic nodded, knowing that events had changed. It was supposed to be him, the ringbearer, who was stabbed but instead it had been Shadow. Aragorn lifted Shadow and started walking off. Sonic followed. He couldn't believe what had happened. Aragorn shifted how Shadow was in his arms and looked to make sure Sonic was still with him. Once they were a safe distance away, Aragorn laid Shadow on the ground.

"Watch him," he told Sonic. "I'm going to find some Athelas. It should help him to some extent."

Sonic nodded. He looked at Shadow, extremely worried.

"I hope you get better," he said, and kissed Shadow on the forehead. A few minutes later, Aragorn came back with the Kingsfoil plant.

Aragorn looked at Sonic, who hadn't budged one bit. He prepared the plant before putting it on Shadow's wound.

"That will slow the poison, right?" Sonic asked.

"It should. We have to hurry."

Sonic nodded. Aragorn picked Shadow up, and continued to walk.

A few days later, they had reached Rivendell. Aragorn saw Elrond and handed Shadow to Sonic, then walked up to him.

"They need your help," he said. "That one has been stabbed by one of the Nazgul. They're also in possession of the ring. We were hoping you would be willing to help them."

Elrond's eyes widened and he looked at Sonic and Shadow. "Of course," he said. "Follow me."

Aragorn took Shadow from Sonic once again and followed Elrond. They walked inside and Elrond lay shadow on a bed, then started to heal him.

"So, you are in possession of the One Ring?" He asked Sonic.

Sonic nodded hesitantly and looked at Shadow, worried.

"They took it from a hobbit living in the Shire," Aragorn explained. "After coming here from another world."

Elrond nodded and continued to heal Shadow. Once he was done, he sighed.

"He'll be awake in a few hours," he said.

Aragorn laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder for a brief moment before leaving the room with Elrond. Sonic looked at Shadow and sighed, then looked at Elrond, who spoke.

"There may be a side effect to this wound," Elrond said. "I'm afraid I have no idea what kind of effect it will have on his body. Stay with him." Elrond left Sonic alone with Shadow.

Sonic hesitated and looked down at Shadow, hoping he'd be alright.


	7. Rivendell

Chapter 7: Rivendell

Half an hour later, Shadow opened his eyes and groaned, looking around the room. His gaze fell on Sonic. He blinked a few times.

"Sonic? Where are we?"

"We're in Rivendell," Sonic told him. "Elrond healed you wound but said there may be some sort of side effect. I don't know what it is."

Shadow nodded. He sighed and started sitting up. "Great. A side-effect. They have any idea what it could be?" Sonic shook his head. Shadow fell back onto the pillows. He looked at Sonic. "So, how long are we staying?"

"Probably until we figure out where to go," Sonic said, and then saw Aragorn and Elrond walk in.

"I understand you need to know how to get to Mordor," Elrond said.

Shadow and Sonic looked at him and nodded.

"We do," Sonic said, holding Shadow's hand.

"You'll need some help then. We've decided to hold a meeting to determine who would help you. You may come or stay here."

"We'll come," Sonic said.

Shadow got out of bed, still holding Sonic's hand. They went with Elrond and Aragorn to the location of the meeting. It was exactly what they'd expected it would be. Shadow took a seat with Sonic beside him.

Elrond sat down and began to speak. "We have found the One Ring. These people are from another world. Before anyone says anything, hear me out." Everyone who had gone to say something shut their mouths. "They have already elected to take the ring to Mordor. We just need a group to get them there."

The group nodded, and Gandalf stood up. "I will take them there."

Shadow breathed a sigh of relief. Gandalf would be a great help.

"I will go as well," Legolas said. He had stood as he spoke.

"And so will I," Aragorn said.

Sonic looked at them and nodded.

"Perfect," Shadow said. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Gandalf said. "We need to plan out the route we'll take."

Shadow looked at Sonic with a small smile coming to his face. The adventure was finally starting.

"Where do we sleep?" He asked.

Sonic shrugged.

"You may use the room we healed you in," Elrond said. "Until then, feel free to take a look around our city."

Shadow and Sonic nodded then went back in the room. Sonic looked at him, blushing. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too," Shadow said. "Rivendell's nice."

Sonic smiled and nodded. Shadow sat on the bed and sighed. He thought about this quest, and what must be done. He only hoped that nothing bad happened to Sonic. Reaching over, he pulled Sonic onto the bed next to him.

"You think the ring's going to affect you in a bad way?"

"I don't know," Sonic told him. "Let's hope it doesn't."

Shadow smiled and blushed, kissing him. When he pulled away, he looked into Sonic's eyes. "If it does, I won't stop until you're back to normal." He stroked the side of Sonic's face before kissing him again. Sonic blushed also and nodded. He closed his eyes and went to sleep, laying in Shadow's arms. Shadow stroked the top of his head a bit, looking down at him. "Sleep well, Sonic." Shadow lay down as well, holding Sonic close. Despite waking recently, the sound of Sonic's breathing soon had him dozing off as well.


	8. The Quest Begins

Chapter 8: The Quest Begins

The next day, they both woke up. Sonic groaned and stretched, then got out of bed. Shadow did the same, and the two saw Gandalf approaching them.

"Time to go," he said. "We've figured out the best way."

Sonic nodded. "Where are we going?"

"In the Misty Mountains, there's a pass we need to go through," Gandalf said.

"But Sauron stops us, and we get to go through the Mines of Moria," Shadow muttered. He almost wished it wouldn't happen that way.

Gandalf looked at him. "There is also a underground pass that leads to Dol Guldur. We will go that way too after the Misty Mountains."

Shadow nodded. "What's that place like?"

"The pass is in Mount Gundabad. Dol Guldur is the Hill of Sorcery; it is the place that Sauron went to regain his power as the Necromancer after the One Ring was lost."

"What would we do there?"

"We shall rest there, and then continue on to Mordor," Gandalf said.

"Sounds good," Shadow said. He looked at Sonic. "You ready?"

Sonic nodded. "You bet," he said with excitement.

Gandalf smiled and then walked out of the room. Sonic and Shadow followed him before meeting up with Aragorn and Legolas also. Shadow stopped next to Sonic and looked back at Rivendell. He'd miss scenery like that. Earth just didn't have many of them.

"We'll come back after our quest is over," Sonic told him.

"What if we don't get the chance?" He looked at Sonic as he spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Once we destroy the ring, there won't be any reason for us to be here any longer. We'll probably be sent back to Earth."

Sonic thought about it. "You're right," he said. "Oh well."

"Maybe Angel Island has something this amazing somewhere," Shadow said.

"Probably."

Shadow smiled and looked at Gandalf. "Sorry. We can go now."

Gandalf nodded and lead the company. Shadow and Sonic followed him, along with Legolas and Aragorn. As they went along their journey, Shadow felt more and more useless. He was used to having to do nearly everything. Now, he was barely doing anything between Gandalf, Legolas and Aragorn's skills. Sure, he killed a few things, but that was the extent of it. Sonic was the ring bearer. With that simple fact, he was already doing more than Shadow.

Sonic looked over at him and noticed that Shadow was looking upset. "Are you okay, Shads?" He asked.

"Yeah." Shadow tried not to look at Sonic. "Just feeling like I'm not really doing anything."

"Shadow, you'll get you chance. Maybe Aragorn or Legolas can train us in sword fighting or something so we're not complexity defenseless."

"Don't you already know how to use a sword?" Shadow asked.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, but it's been a while."

"When we've got the time, maybe we should ask."

"Okay."

"They even have extra swords?"

Sonic shrugged. "They might," he said.

Shadow nodded. They continued to walk until they got to a valley that was between Rivendell and the Misty Mountains. Shadow looked around. He wasn't sure what to make of the place.

"We shall rest here for a while, and then continue on," Gandalf said.

Shadow approached Aragorn. Aragorn looked at him as he began speaking.

"Could you teach us how to use a sword some time?" he asked.

Aragorn nodded and replied. "Before we cross the mountains. Legolas and I can show the two of you how to wield a sword."

"Thanks."

He walked back to Sonic, who smirked. "Well?"

"He'll do it." He crossed his arms. "What's with the smirk?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wondered what he'd say."

Shadow frowned and looked away from Sonic. He had no idea what went through the blue hedgehog's mind most of the time. Sonic sighed and held Shadow's hand nervously.

Shadow looked down at their hands. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried...what if we fail?" Sonic asked him.

"Fail?" Shadow was annoyed by the mere suggestion of failure. "How would we do that?"

Sonic sighed. "Never mind; forget what I said."

Shadow closed his eyes and sighed. "Is it the ring?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is the ring affecting you again? The two of us have never failed before. We won't start now."

Sonic hesitated and nodded slightly.

Shadow placed a hand on his arm and smiled. "It'll be fine. I'm here with you."

"Thanks, Shads," Sonic said. He looked down and looked at the ring in his other hand, then put it back in his quills. A few minutes later, Gandalf walked over.

"It is time to go," he said.

Shadow looked at Sonic and got to his feet. They sighed and followed him as they grew nearer to the Misty Mountains. Shadow kept looking to check on Sonic as they walked. Everything with the ring had him worried. It's affect on Sonic wasn't obvious. He kept looking at the ring; Shadow saw that he had put it on a chain around his neck. Shadow looked at the ring as well. It was bothering him how often Sonic looked at it.

"Won't staring make it worse?" Shadow asked.

Sonic looked up and frowned. "I guess," he said.

"So stop staring at it."

Sonic nodded. They continued to walk until they got to the Misty Mountains and entered.


	9. A Side Effect

Chapter 9: A Side Effect

Shadow was on guard the moment they set foot in the mountains. An ambush could happen at any moment in the mountains. With the ring in their possession, and monsters waking up all over the place, Shadow didn't think it was too paranoid of him.

They walked up the pass, knowing that it was very dangerous here. A few minutes later, the wind picked up and snow started to fall. Suddenly a massive storm started as thunder and lightning filled the air. The mix wasn't something Shadow enjoyed. He looked at Sonic, unsure of what to think.

"You know what's causing this?" Shadow asked, despite not directing the question at Sonic. "That can't be a normal weather mix."

Sonic shook his head and looked at Gandalf for an answer.

Gandalf was looking into the raging storm. A frown had come to his face at the sight. "No. This isn't normal," he said. "It's Sauron."

As they walked, a flash of lightning struck the side of the mountain, bringing down some snow.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Legolas yelled.

The group moved away from the mountainside, far enough so the snow didn't fall on their heads. Shadow looked up at the sky, half expecting a blot of lightning to aim right at them. The storm continued, and a massive blizzard started. They fellowship had to cover their faces as they walked so not to get blinded by snow. A few minutes later, they heard a noise and looked behind them to see Orcs coming after them.

Shadow was unimpressed. With the storm, he was sure it would be hard to kill them. Aragorn drew his sword as they kept moving. With any luck, the storm would keep the Orcs a safe distance away. The Orcs continued to follow them but were then stopped by the storm. Gandalf, Sonic and the others hurried along the path but stopped at once as another bolt of lightning hit the rock above them, smashing down upon the road and blocking their path.

Sonic heard a noise and looked behind him. "Orcs!" He shouted. "They're coming out of the mountain!"

The group looked behind them. Aragorn and Legolas prepared for the Orcs as they advanced. Everyone drew their swords and waited. A few seconds later, Orcs ran down the cliff, attacking. Before long, Gandalf and the others were surrounded. They attacked the Orcs, slaying a few. The others had armor on and were hard to kill. Shadow tried to find a weak point in the defenses they could exploit.

He summoned a Chaos Spear and threw it at the armor, aiming to take it off. Sonic was doing homing attacks, trying to do the same thing. The attacks wore through the armor, and soon they had naked Orcs to deal with. After that, the Orcs were dead much sooner than expected. Aragorn put his sword away, as did Legolas. Sonic and Shadow sighed and looked at each other.

"We must continue on," Gandalf said. "But this path is blocked so we must find another way."

Shadow didn't like where this was going. "Is there another way around the mountain?" he asked.

Gandalf thought about it. "We could go through the Mines; that would lead us nearer to Mount Gundabad."

Aragorn and Legolas looked at him.

"Are you sure about that? Is there no other way?" Sonic asked him.

"That is the fastest way," Gandalf said.

Sonic sighed and nodded. "Very well," he said. "Let us go through the Mines of Moria."

It took them a while to reach the entrance to the mines. When they did, they were forced to take a break due to the door being shut tight. Meanwhile, Shadow was beginning to feel ill. His shoulder throbbed in pain as he stumbled. Sonic looked at him in concern.

"Are you okay, Shads?"

"Don't feel so good," Shadow said. He sat on the ground, panting. Looking at his shoulder didn't help matters. The pain only seemed to intensify. "I thought he healed this."

Sonic kneeled beside him. "Elrond did say there's going to be a side effect. Maybe it's kicking in now?"

Sweat beaded on Shadow's face as he clutched his shoulder. "A side effect to make me sick?" he asked. Everything started to faze in and out of focus as he felt light-headed. The pain was unbearable.

Suddenly, he started to feel faint and fell to the ground as a black light surrounded him, and he felt himself transform. When the light faded, a Ringwraith stood in Shadow's place. Everyone, including Sonic, gasped and backed away. Shadow looked at his hands before turning his gaze to Sonic. The ring dangling around Sonic's neck didn't seem to have any pull on him at all. He tried to speak then.

"What happened?"

"S...Shadow? Is that you?" Sonic asked fearfully, looking at the Nazgul before him. He already was beginning to feel the ring calling to him.

"Yes," he said. He took a step toward Sonic.

Sonic's eyes widened in fear as he grasped the ring around his neck, struggling to put in on. "Shadow...y...you've...turned into a Ringwraith!"

Shadow looked down at the rest of his body. He supposed he was lucky the others hadn't attacked him yet. The new body felt weird as well. No way he could do anything like this. Shadow looked back up at Sonic. Sonic continued to struggle with the ring, and then finally put it on his finger. When he did, he vanished, but could see Shadow in his Ringwraith form more clearly; it was as if Shadow was a ghost. Shadow suddenly felt the ring calling to him as well.

Shadow's gaze focused on the ring around Sonic's finger. A voice was calling to him, commanding him to take the ring from Sonic. Shadow stepped forward, approaching Sonic. The ringbearer's eyes widened and he stepped back as the Ringwraith approached him. The others may not have been able to see Sonic, but they could still see the Ringwraith that used to be Shadow. Aragorn drew his sword with the intent to stop him.

Sonic stumbled backwards as Shadow came closer, bearing down on him as a sword materialized in his hand. Sonic pulled the ring off his finer, reappearing in front of everyone, gasping for breath.

"Shadow..." He said.

Shadow paused when he heard Sonic's voice, sword raised in the air. Every fiber of this form wanted him to plunge the sword into Sonic's body. Sonic didn't want him to. Understandable, but it still gave him incentive to pause. Shadow looked down at the other before moving his arm. He lowered the sword, looking around at everyone. Fear was in their faces, and Aragorn's sword was drawn as well.

Shadow knew he had to change back. If he didn't, he would hurt Sonic. After saying he'd protect him, he couldn't let that happen. But the commands from the ring was something he was having difficulty ignoring. Instead of staying around, Shadow turned and hurried away. Who cares how he looked then?

The Ringwraith screeched and ran away. Sonic gasped and jumped up, running after him. "Shadow, wait! SHADOW!"

Shadow ignored Sonic's shouts. He should've known Sonic would go after him. At this speed, Sonic was bound to catch him.

Sonic ran after Shadow and eventually caught up to him. "Shadow, please don't leave. We need you...I need you."

Shadow looked at Sonic. "I don't want to hurt you," he said. He had no idea if Sonic could understand him or not.

"I know you don't," Sonic said. "Can you change back? Please?"

Shadow shook his head. "I don't know how."

Sonic frowned and sighed, wondering how that would be possible. Shadow absently stroked Sonic's arm as he thought. If he could keep control of himself, he could return.

"Maybe Gandalf knows something," he said.

"Let's go see him, then," Sonic said.

The Ringwraith nodded, and went back. Everyone looked at him suspiciously as Shadow walked up to Gandalf.

"I need a way to change back," he said.

Gandalf nodded and thought about it, stroking his beard.

"There may be something at Dol Guldur. We need to pass through these mines first."

Shadow nodded. He was good at resisting things. And he could count on the others to do something if he lost control.

Sonic looked at the Ringwraith, "Try not to lose control, please."

Shadow nodded. He sighed and followed the fellowship into the Mines of Moria, wondering what dangers lay ahead.


	10. The Mines of Moria

Chapter 10: The Mines of Moria

The mines' darkness melted away when Gandalf summoned a ball of light to show the surroundings. Skeletons lay all over the place. Not a monster was in sight, though the group didn't drop their defenses. Shadow looked at his hand. If it came to it, he hoped he'd be able to fight.

They reached a spot where they could rest. Sonic heard something and looked around, then saw two large eyes in the distance. He gasped and looked at Gandalf. "Who is that?" He asked.

Gandalf looked at where Sonic had just been.

"That is Gollum," Gandalf said. "He's been following us for a while now."

"Why?"

"All he thinks of is the ring. Now that you have it, he most likely intends to take it back."

Sonic nodded and turned away. Gandalf stood up, and they continued on their way. "How long will it take us to reach Mordor?" Sonic asked.

"I'd say about six months," Gandalf said.

Shadow turned his head at the news. Six months was a long time. Especially being in a place you weren't used to.

"Long enough to get used to this place," he told Sonic.

Sonic nodded.

"What if we don't go back?" Shadow asked.

"Then...I guess we'll just have to live here in Middle-Earth," Sonic said.

Shadow snorted. "The only talking hedgehogs on the planet. Sounds fun." Shadow looked down at his body again. "Once I get back to normal, at least."

Sonic smiled. "At least we can enjoy ourselves while we're here."

Shadow smiled at him, though he doubted Sonic could see it. He'd be able to enjoy this place with Sonic.

"We must get moving," Gandalf said. "It is a week's journey to the other side."

The group continued through the mines, mindful of anything that could pose a threat. Shadow kept trying to get his sword to come back as they walked. If it wouldn't listen to him now, there was no way it would listen to him when he needed it to. A few seconds later, his sword appeared in his hand and the Ringwraith smirked.

"Sonic!" he shouted. "I got it to listen!" The Nazgul waved his arm, sword in the air.

Sonic looked at him. "Cool," he said.

"Quiet," Gandalf said, and they all stopped, listening.

The sound of footsteps was in the distance. Considering the fact that everyone else they'd seen were dead and Gollum was good at hiding, it could only be danger. Shadow moved toward Sonic.

"What is that?" Sonic asked the wizard.

"Orcs, maybe," Gandalf said. "Perhaps some other manner of underground creature."

Sonic nodded and they all stood silent. Suddenly, a swarm of orcs and goblins had ambushed them.

The group switched to battle as quickly as they cold. The orcs and goblins weren't that hard to kill. Shadow had difficulties doing more than simply stand there. He'd never had to grow used to something so new so quickly before. The horde of monsters seemed to be never-ending. The Ringwraith used his new sword to kill the enemies, and for some reason he enjoyed it. Shadow also found that he had heightened senses. Sonic glanced at him, hoping that the Nazgul would be okay, and started doing homing attacks on the Orcs and goblins.

The Nazgul chuckled. Everything that dared oppose him was falling to his might. Shadow laughed as he continued cutting through everything that came before him.

Sonic stopped and looked at Shadow. "Are you okay, Shads?" He asked in concern.

Shadow ignored the question. He was enjoying himself too much. Sonic shrugged and continued to attack. After what seemed like twenty minutes, the orcs and goblins were dead. Shadow stood in place, looking around. There had to be something else.

In minutes, two large cave trolls appeared and roared at them. The fellowship prepared as the cave trolls ran at them. The cave troll slammed his troll to the ground, bending over as he did. Gandalf saw his chance. He plunged his sword, Glamdring, into the troll's shoulder. A cry of pain told him he had hurt the monster. He pulled Glamdring out and struck the troll in the back. Only a cut. This time, he tried it again in the chest. It worked. The cave troll fell over, dead

Now there was only his friend left. Aragorn and Legolas make quick work of it, dodging and hitting when they got the chance. Soon, the other cave troll had been killed and the Fellowship moved on. Shadow walked alongside Sonic, continuously glancing over to see how he was doing.

Sonic looked at him also. The Ringwraith was cloaked in black, so Sonic couldn't see his face. He sighed and continued to walk, following Gandalf, Legolas and Aragorn.

"How long do you think until they attack us again?" Shadow asked. "That couldn't have been the last of them."

"I don't know," Sonic said. "We need to be on our guard, though."

"I know I'm one of those things right now, but I'll protect you," Shadow said.

Sonic looked at him and nodded, wondering if Shadow said was right.


	11. Durin's Bane

Chapter 11: Durin's Bane

The group continued going through the mines until they were simply too exhausted to continue. The attacks from the goblins and orcs had worn them out. They sat down to rest and sighed. Sonic moved closer to the Nazgul and looked at him.

"What?" Shadow asked.

"I'm just wondering: what do you think of being a Nazgul?"

"It's strange. I'm not used to being this tall, or dressing this way." He looked at Sonic. "The ring's calls aren't too annoying. At least I can make myself useful."

Sonic smiled and nodded.

"What do you think of carrying the ring around everywhere?" The Nazgul asked.

"It's...hard," Sonic said. "I keep hearing the ring's calls but I'm trying to resist them. However, it's a burden that I must bear."

Shadow nodded and put an arm around Sonic. Sonic shivered at the touch and looked at Shadow. He couldn't see his face because it was hidden in the cloak but lay his head against the Ringwraith's shoulder. Shadow pulled him closer and resisted the urge to kiss the top of his head. He had no idea what would happen if he tried that.

Sonic yawned and closed his eyes, then fell asleep, his head still resting on Shadow's shoulder. Shadow kept his guard up and his arm around Sonic. He didn't allow himself to get much sleep. Hours later, Sonic stirred and woke. Gandalf, Aragorn and Legolas were ready to go. He stood up also and looked at Shadow.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." Shadow stood and dusted his butt.

They nodded and continued on their way. As they walked, Shadow couldn't help but wonder if the same events were going to happen to them.

"What are we going to do if the same set of events happens, Sonic? We can't very well wander through Middle-Earth and find Mordor ourselves."

Sonic looked at the Nazgul. "I'm not sure," he said. "What do you think?"

"I think we should do everything we can to make sure the group stays together this round," he said. "Surely the world will be able to handle it's own problems without them."

"That's a good idea," Sonic said. "I hope you're right."

They continued in silence then.

Sonic sighed and looked at Shadow, wondering if he would ever turn back to normal. If he didn't, at least he could control himself. The Fellowship continued to walk, and Sonic was getting anxious. How long have they been in the mines, anyway?

Shadow was beginning to feel ansty as they kept walking. He could tell Sonic was feeling the same, though it didn't take much to figure that out. One of the things Sonic lacked was patience. Walking in the same direction for who knows how long would wear on anyone's. For hours, the kept walking. Suddenly, a loud roar sounded. The group readied once again. hey looked around, but couldn't see anything yet. Another roar sounded, and it grew hotter. Gandalf closed his eyes, knowing what it was.

"What new devilry is this?" Legolas asked.

Shadow frowned as he felt the heat. That much heat meant fire. In this form, fire definitely was not a good thing. He moved closer to Sonic.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

"A Balrog," Sonic told him.

Gandalf turned to him and nodded. "Durin's Bane."

Orcs and goblins were running past them, ignoring the fellowship.

"This way." The fellowship ran in the direction Gandalf had pointed.

They ran further and finally saw the Bridge of Kazhad-Dum; across it was the exit. The Fellowship ran towards the exit when a huge Balrog came forth. Shadow screeched and Gandalf turned around, holding his staff.

The fellowship got across the bridge as Gandalf fought the Balrog.

"You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!" Gandalf said.

The Balrog ignored his words, coming closer with it's whip ready. Gandalf held his ground on the bridge.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" He said, and slammed his staff into the ground.

The bridge broke and fell into the depths, dragging the Balrog down with it. Before Shadow could complete his thought, the expected happened. The Balrog's whip came up from the depths and wrapped around Gandalf's ankle as the wizard turned away.

Gandalf yelled and fell down, grabbing the edge of the broken bridge. Sonic gasped and ran forwards, grabbing onto Gandalf's hands and trying to pull him back up. Shadow ran to his side, grabbing the other hand in an attempt to help Sonic. There was no way Sonic would be able to do it himself. Soon, they had pulled Gandalf up onto the bridge. He panted and stood up, nodding his thanks to them.

Shadow looked to see if the whip was still around his ankle, pulling it off before standing.

"Feeling all right, Gandalf?"

Gandalf nodded and walked back to the other members of the Fellowship. They walked up the stairs and through the exit. Finally, they were out of the mines.


	12. Shadow of a Ringwraith

Chapter 12: Shadow of a Ringwraith  


The sun shone bright over the landscape before them. It was good to be in the fresh air once again. Shadow went forward with the others, trying to ignore how much the sunlight was bothering him.

Sonic looked at him. "You okay? I can tell the sunlight's bothering you."

Shadow looked over at him. "I will be. It's not burning me or anything."

"Alright," Sonic said. "I know Nazgul can't stand daylight, but you seem to be doing fine."

Shadow nodded and looked at Gandalf, wondering where they were headed to now. Shadow looked to Gandalf also. He was doing fine now, but that didn't mean he'd be able to keep it up for long.

"How far until Dol Guldur?" Shadow asked.

Gandalf thought about it. "At least a month," he said.

Shadow whimpered inside. Outside, he remained calm. A month wouldn't kill him. He'd just have to be careful.

"We shall go through Mount Gundabad, which will take a few weeks to get there. After that, we shall get to Dol Guldur," Gandalf said.

"Will you be fine being a Nazgul for a month?" Sonic asked Shadow.

"I hope so."

"What if you don't change back?"

Shadow didn't want to think of that possibility. If he stayed too long, he knew for sure that he'd end up attacking Sonic. the ring couldn't be ignored forever.

"I'd have to leave," he said. "The ring won't be ignored forever."

Sonic's eyes widened in shock and he looked away in disappointment. "You'll go to Mordor, I assume?"

"Where else would a Nazgul go?"

Sonic sighed and nodded. Shadow tried to ignore his disappointment. Sonic meant a lot to him. He'd rather leave him than try to kill him again.

Sonic walked up to Shadow and hugged him. "If you do leave, remember that I'll always love you."

Shadow gently wrapped his arms around Sonic as well. "I won't forget."

Aragorn cleared his throat and they looked at him. "It is time to go," he said. "We must get to Dol Guldur."

Shadow released Sonic. The good-byes could wait until they had to say them. The group made their way to Mount Gundabad. They traveled for miles along the Misty Mountains, heading north as they headed towards the mountain.

The closer they got, the more orcs attacked them. It was as if they knew what the fellowship was doing. Shadow stuck to the shadows as often as possible to prevent anything from happening to himself. The more Sonic's movements revealed the ring, the more worried he got. The ring called to him each time. Luckily, the others hadn't noticed anything was wrong. Shadow didn't doubt that one of them would try to kill him if he attacked.

Days passed, and the Fellowship continued their journey. Finally, they saw a mountain in the distance and knew it was Mount Gundabad. Sonic grinned and looked towards Shadow.

"We're almost there," he said.

Shadow nodded, and then noticed the ring. He tried to ignore it, but it was calling to him. Sonic noticed the look on Shadow's face and frowned.

Shadow couldn't take his eyes from the ring. It called out to him, urging him to come closer. The Ringwraith's sword appeared in Shadow's hand once again as he walked toward Sonic. The ring couldn't be ignored. Not any longer. Sonic gasped and stumbled back, putting the ring on his finger. The Nazgul let out a menacing loud screech and advanced. Sonic's eyes widened as he saw the true form of Shadow: he was a wraith, a spectral form that looked like a ghost.

Shadow continued his advance on Sonic. Sword at the ready, he kept his eyes on the ring. The ringbearer gasped as the Nazgul came closer, his eyes never leaving the ring. Shadow stretched his hand towards the ring, intending on taking it back to Sauron.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what the Nazgul was after. Aragorn drew his sword and attacked. He knew it wouldn't do any good, but it would at least distract Shadow. Shadow snarled at the ranger as his sword came to meet his. He glared at Aragorn and screeched loudly, then parried again, trying to disarm him.

Aragorn was knocked to the ground, though he kept a grip on his sword. He rose again as Legolas added his own attacks. Both were careful of the Nazgul's sword. The Nazgul screeched and ignored them, advancing towards Sonic even more. He raised his sword and glared at the ringbearer. Gandalf threw fire between them, halting the Nazgul's advance. Shadow turned toward him in anger.

"Shadow...Shads..." Sonic said.

The Ringwraith heard his name and stopped, turning towards Sonic. The sword lowered as Shadow stared at Sonic. Recognition sparked in his eyes.

"Shadow..." Sonic said again.

The Nazgul looked at him, then spoke. "Sonic," he said. "I can't...the ring's calling to me."

Sonic looked at the ring and then took it off, placing the chain around his neck again. However, the ring was still calling to Shadow, and he was having an extremely hard time resisting it. He had to leave and go to Mordor, now, before he hurt anyone. Shadow turned and fled before he could do any damage. He'd let his instincts lead the way.

"SHADOW!" Sonic yelled. He started to go after him but Gandalf held him back and shook his head.

"Let...me...go..." Sonic said. "I can't leave him..."

"You don't have a choice," Aragorn said. "He's a Nazgul now. If he stays, he'll only be putting you in farther danger."

"No...I want him back...I love him!"

He sat on the ground and began to cry. Aragorn sighed and knelt down, looking at Sonic.

Aragorn laid a hand on Sonic's arm. "He did it for your own safety, Sonic. You know that."

Sonic sighed and then nodded, wondering what Shadow would do now once he was in Mordor. Would he report to Sauron and the other Nazgul? What would happen? He cleared his throat and stood up, looking at the ring, and then at Gandalf.

Gandalf stood in wait of what Sonic had to say.

"What will Shadow do once he gets to Mordor?" He asked.

"That depends on how much of his self remains," Gandalf said.

Sonic sighed and nodded. "We better get going, then."

Gandalf nodded, and they continued to head towards Mount Gundabad. Sonic sighed and thought about Shadow, hoping he would still be in control.


	13. The Nazgul's Attack

Chapter 13: The Nazgul's Attack

Shadow arrived at Mordor much sooner than Gandalf had predicted. The call of the ring had lessened as he put more distance between them. He could still feel it pulling him back in the direction of where he'd left Sonic. Instead of returning, he kept with his retreat. He groaned and fell to the ground, clutching his head. Shadow could hear Sauron's voice in his head, and he could do nothing to resist it. He was now a servant to the Dark Lord; another Ringwraith had come to Mordor. He stood up and saw Barad-Dur, then ran towards it. Shadow went into the fortress, going before Sauron and bowing.

Sauron looked at him and grinned. "I have been watching you, my newest Nazgul. Tell me, where is the Ring now?"

"On its way to Dol Guldur, Master," Shadow said.

"Excellent," Sauron said, grinning. "Here is what I want you to do: once they get to Dol Guldur, you and the other Nazgul shall go there and ambush them; focus on taking the ring; it will allow me to take control of Middle-Earth. After that, I want you to go to Minas Tirith and destroy the city."

The Nazgul nodded. He saw a large dragon outside and knew that it was his new steed. Shadow went to the dragon and climbed onto its back. In the back of his mind, he didn't want to be doing this. But Sauron had ordered it and so, it shall be done. He was a Nazgul now, a servant of Sauron. Shadow sighed and flew to Minas Morgal where they other Ringwraiths were. Then, all ten Nazgul flew out of Mordor, heading towards Dol Guldur.

Shadow watched the land go by beneath him. Riding a dragon was more fun than he'd thought it would be. The closer he got to Dol Guldur, the stronger the pull of the ring was. He let out a screech and soon came to Dol Guldur. The Fellowship wasn't here yet, which was good. Shadow smirked as he and the other Nazgul hid in the shadows, waiting for them to arrive. They didn't have to wait long.

Hours passed, and Sonic, Gandalf, Legolas and Aragorn appeared. They sighed and looked around, oblivious to the Nazgul hiding. Shadow watched Sonic carefully, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

Soon, night fell and the Nazgul decided to attack. They came out, swords out, and moved towards Sonic. Shadow glanced at the others as he approached Sonic. He aimed his sword at the sleeping hedgehog, ready to strike. His sword came down but hit another sword. Shadow looked up and saw Aragorn blocking him. He snarled and screeched in rage as the other Nazgul came out of the shadows.

The other Nazgul came to join the fight as Shadow glared at Aragorn. Suddenly, Gandalf and Legolas were up as well to defend Sonic, who gasped as he recognized Shadow. The ten Nazgul hissed and started to battle. Shadow tried to focus on Aragorn. With him in the way, he'd never be able to get to Sonic. He screeched and battled the ranger, parrying blows. He brought his sword down and hit Aragorn, knocking him to the ground and disarming him. The Ringwraith grinned and moved closer to Sonic, reaching for the ring around his neck.

A blast of fire swept around the area, originating from Gandalf's staff. The Nazgul were forced back as the fellowship avoided the flames. Shadow glared at Gandalf and screeched loudly as the fire grew hotter. Then he and the other Nazgul hopped on their dragons and flew away.

Aragorn hurried to make sure Sonic was all right. The blue hedgehog was gasping for breath, watching the Nazgul leave. He closed his eyes and grasped the ring, then opened them. "That was Shadow with the other Ringwraiths...right?"

"Yes."

Sonic sighed and nodded. "I should have known; he's a servant of Sauron now. What are we going to do?"

"We still have to destroy the ring," Legolas said. "We should continue on."

"I know," Sonic said.

Gandalf cleared his throat. "We should rest here for now. In the morning, we shall continue towards Mordor."

The group returned to their rest.

* * *

Shadow and the other Nazgul went back to Mordor and bowed before Sauron.

"Do you have the ring?" The Dark Lord asked Shadow.

"No, Master," Shadow said. He kept his eyes on the floor.

Sauron glared at him. "What happened?"

"Gandalf," Shadow said. "He summoned fire, and we had no choice but to retreat."

"That wizard is nothing but trouble. No matter; they will come here eventually. In the meantime, I want you to create a distraction. Attack the city of Minas Tirith; the Fellowship will have no choice but to separate from each other."

"Of course." Shadow stood and took his leave. He got on his dragon and looked at the other Nazgul. "We're attacking Minas Tirith," he said.

The other Nazgul nodded and screeched. Their dragons flapped their wings and hovered in the air, then flew towards Minas Tirith. How the Fellowship was going to divide was something Shadow couldn't wait to see.


	14. Minas Tirith Under Siege

Chapter 14: Minas Tirith Under Siege  


The next day, Sonic and the others woke. Gandalf could immediately sense that something was wrong. Checking the area, he determined that it wasn't nearby. Gandalf looked to the sky. He heard loud screeches and his eyes widened as he saw then ten Nazgul flying towards Minas Tirith.

"The Nazgul are on their way to Minas Tirith," Gandalf said.

Everyone heard this and immediately stood up, their eyes wide.

"What are we going to do?" Sonic asked. He had a terrible feeling that they were going to separate.

"We should help them," Aragorn said. "All ten Nazgul will be a formidable force."

Sonic nodded. "But what about our quest to Mordor?"

Gandalf thought about it and sighed. "We'll just have to separate. Two of us shall help Minas Tirith. The other two will continue to Mordor."

Sonic grimaced; he knew this would happen. "That is fine," he said. "Who will go with me?"

"I will." Aragorn stepped forward.

"Okay. How long will it take to get to Mordor from here?"

Aragorn thought about it. "I'd say about a few months."

"We'll do what we can for Minas Tirith," Gandalf said. "Good luck to the both of you."

Gandalf and Legolas left, leaving Sonic and Aragorn to continue on their way. As Sonic and Aragorn walked out of Dol Guldur, they reached the forest of Mirkwood and started to walk through it.

"Aragorn," Sonic asked. "What will happen to Shadow once Sauron is defeated?"

Aragorn looked at Sonic as he thought about it.

"I'm not sure," he said. "The Nazgul are only here for the ring. Once it's destroyed, they will die. But Shadow wasn't always a Nazgul, so maybe things will be different for him."

Sonic's eyes widened and he gulped, then nodded.

"Don't worry too much about it. If destroying the ring sends you back to your own world, he'll undoubtedly return to himself."

"I hope so," Sonic said. Aragorn smiled, and they continued on their way.

* * *

As Minas Tirith came into view, Shadow shifted in his saddle. A few people living in the city noticed them and pointed, screaming. They knew what was coming to them even as the dragons swooped low over the city. People were lifted into the air before either falling back to the hard ground or being devoured by the Nazgul's dragons.

Shadow grinned and let out a terrifying screech. He jumped off his dragon and landed in the city, drawing his sword and killing many citizens. The other Nazgul continued to circle the city on their dragons. Shadow was immensely enjoying himself. People ran screaming around him as his sword cut down each and every person unlucky enough to cross his path. Fire from the dragons torched sections of the city around him, walls of buildings falling into the streets.

The Ringwraith screeched and continued to slaughter the citizens. He laughed as the people in the city were killed. Shadow knew that Gandalf and Legolas would appear soon and when they did, he and the other Nazgul would be ready. They wouldn't be so easily defeated this time. A little fire wouldn't be enough to frighten them off. Shadow smirked as the other Nazgul joined him. They let out terrifying screeches and ran throughout the city as their dragons flew above.

All of it was too easy. Citizens and guards both fell before the Nazgul. Shadow looked around and smirked as he saw all the dead bodies. Then he looked at the other Nazgul and spoke.

"Focus on taking the city. Kill everyone."

The Nazgul nodded and ran off to follow Shadow's orders. Gripping his sword tighter, Shadow ran through to the top of the city. He slammed the door open and saw the Steward of Gondor, Denathor, sitting on the throne. Denathor looked up in shock as the Nazgul came closer and stood in front of him. Shadow moved forward, sword raised to kill the man.

"Who are you? Why have you come?" Denathor asked.

"I have come for your city," Shadow said.

Denethor's eyes widened. "You Nazgul will never take the city," he said, and then turned to his son, Boromir. "Light the warning beacons!"

Boromir nodded and ran off. Shadow snarled and advanced on Denathor, plunging his sword into the man's chest, killing him. With that done, he went after Boromir. He could not allow the warning beacons to be lit. Soon, he had caught up to Boromir. The Nazgul screeched, causing Boromir to turn around, and decapitated him instantly.

Shadow looked around for anyone else. He smirked; most of the people in the city were dead but not many were left. Shadow called the other Nazgul to him, ordering them to kill whoever was still alive. Soon, the city was devoid of life. Only the bodies of the dead remained, accompanied by the Nazgul. Shadow looked out past the city.

He smirked and chuckled evilly; now, the Nazgul were in control of the city. Soon, though, they would confront Legolas and Gandalf, and he would not be defeated this time. The Nazgul patiently waited for the two to arrive. It took just as long as expected. Soon, Gandalf and Legolas arrived. They gasped and looked around at the ruins of the smoldering city. Gandalf frowned; they were too late. However, he saw the ten Nazgul in the city and rushed to face them as Legolas followed.

The two arrived at the Nazgul's location with their weapons drawn. The Nazgul stood, each holding their own weapons. Gandalf and Legolas wore grim determination.

"You shall all flee when we are done with you," Gandalf said. "Go back to your master."

Shadow screeched in anger. The Nazgul attacked the two. Shadow knew they had to keep them there as long as possible. Retreat was not an option Sauron would allow.

He grasped his sword tighter and attacked. Gandalf countered with his own sword, parrying Shadow's blows. Legolas was firing arrows at them but both were not leaving a mark on the Nazgul.

Shadow continued attacking the wizard, keeping him too occupied to throw any fire. Gandalf continued to battle but he and Legolas were being forced back; they were outnumbered. He disarmed Gandalf as the others overpowered Legolas.

"Capture them!" he shouted to the others. "We'll bring them back to Mordor with us."

The other Nazgul nodded and knocked Gandalf, along with Legolas, unconscious. Then they got back on their dragons and flew back to Mordor, carrying Gandalf and Legolas with them.


	15. Shapeshifter

Chapter 15: Shapeshifter  


Aragorn watched Sonic as they steadily moved closer to Mordor. They still had a long way to go, and he was worried for the hedgehog. The ring wasn't known to be kind to those possessing it.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

Sonic shrugged. "I'm fine, but I can feel the ring slowly taking a hold of me. It will get worse as we get nearer to Mordor."

"How long do you think you could resist it?"

"I have no idea. When Shadow and I left the Shire, its power was already taking hold, and that was only after a day."

"Taking it's hold from day one, and you still aren't under it's control," Aragorn said. "Let's hope that can last."

Sonic nodded but then stopped as a pain erupted where the ring was and he gasped, then fell to the ground. He could see Sauron looking at him. Then the vision passed and he stood up, groaning. The ring was taking control. Aragorn would've helped the hedgehog to his feet if something hadn't been happening to his body. Sonic groaned in pain and he felt himself beginning to transform.

Sonic's fur turned dark blue and grew thick. The muscles in his legs and arms started to stretch as they grew stronger. Bones fractured, snapping out of place before physically changing his legs and arms to a different posture and forcing him onto four legs. His hands and feet pushed against each other as they merged into three digits, becoming paws. Razor-sharp claws extended from his feet, curving downwards. Sonic's body began to grow, affecting the muscles in his abdomen. They expanded and rippled across his body, strengthening in mass and density. Suddenly, his ribs started to grow as the bones split apart and moved forward a little. His tail grew outward, becoming broad with dense fur. His face started to change as it extended outwards and fused his mouth and nose together, forming a long snout. Sonic's jaw ached as his teeth became razor-sharp fangs with more jutting out from his gums. His ears swiveled to the sides of his head and curved a little. The nose at the end of his muzzle turned black, and his senses and instincts heightened.

When the transformation finished, a large blue wolf lay in Sonic's place, the ring still hanging from around his neck. Aragorn couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. Laying a hand on Sonic, he spoke to him.

"Sonic? You still here?" He asked.

As much as he'd hate to use it, Aragorn had a hand on the hilt of his sword. There was no telling if Sonic had his own mind or not. Sonic stood up and whimpered, then nodded. Aragorn sighed in relief.

"There's one good thing." He rubbed Sonic's head. "How do you feel?"

The wolf yipped and whined slightly. Aragorn looked around. His hand continued petting between Sonic's ears. It would be harder to go through this quest with a companion he couldn't understand. The best he could do was guess.

"Maybe we should rest for a while. No need to have you walking around if you hurt all over."

Sonic nodded and lay down, putting his head on his paws. He wondered if he could change back somehow, and looked at Aragorn. The ranger sat beside him.

"If Gandalf had come with you, he might've had some kind of idea what to do," he said. "The best we can do is hope this isn't permanent."

The wolf nodded again and yawned, closing his eyes to rest. A few hours later, he woke and saw Aragorn was asleep. He walked over to the ranger and nudged him with a paw, trying to get Aragorn to wake up. Aragorn lay a hand on his paw, but remained asleep.

Sonic turned away and thought about this wolf form. Perhaps he could change back. He closed his eyes, willing himself to turn back to normal, and to his surprise, he did. Sonic grinned and looked at his hands and feet. He closed his eyes once again and felt himself shift back into wolf form. He concentrated once more, shifting back to his regular self. This time, he yelled. Aragorn was up in the next instant, grabbing his sword from where it lay on the ground.

"What happened?" Aragorn calmed when he noticed Sonic's appearance. "You're back to normal."

Sonic grinned. "It appears the ring gave me the power to shapeshift," Sonic said. "I can turn into a wolf, but perhaps I can transform into other things."

"I've never heard of such a thing before," Aragorn said. "Give it a try."

"Okay," Sonic said. He thought about what to transform into next, and grinned. A Balrog would be nice. He closed his eyes, and transformed once more.

He felt his entire body heating up. His insides felt like they were burning, as if they were on fire. Smoke rose from his body as his skin cracked, hardening into scales as molten lava oozed out and stuck to some of them. His arms and legs grew, thickening with muscle. His fingers and toes merged into three digits, thickening as well. The fingernails and toenails on his hands and feet also lengthened into sharp claws. Sonic groaned in pain as he felt bones in his body break apart, rearranging and thickening with density. His tail grew longer and thickened with large spikes appearing on it.

Sonic's shoulders filled with pain as they split open, widening as two bat-like wings unfolded from his back. His face started to change as it extended outward into a very short muzzle. His quills melted into his skull as scales covered his face. Suddenly, he felt a tugging on the side of his head and felt two long horns grow out of his skull next to his ears, curving downwards. The horns were so long and wide that Sonic could see them extending past his face, ending in sharp spikes. His ears melted away into his skull but his hearing somehow increased. Long, deadly fangs jutted out from his mouth and replaced his teeth.

He closed his eyes as they painfully changed. They grew wider and more pronounced, along with his eye color, which turned his irises completely white. Sonic's body continued to grow as his muscles twisted, rippling across his body and gaining mass. His entire body thickened with muscle and grew in size, reaching twenty feet in height. Flames burst from his scales and engulfed his entire body, intertwining it with shadow. Lastly, an axe and whip appeared in his hands and covered themselves with flame.

When it was done, Aragorn couldn't help but grip his sword tighter. The pain Sonic must've gone through to change into something so massive gave Aragorn even more reason to be impressed.

"Well done," he said.

The Balrog nodded and transformed back to normal.

"This ability will be useful," Sonic said.

"Anything else the ring's done to you?"

Sonic thought about it and shook his head. "I've heard that the One Ring can make people immortal, so maybe it will do that to me."

"Guess that's another thing in our favor. If you can't die, I don't need to worry quite so much." Aragorn smiled at the hedgehog.

"Yeah," Sonic said. "Well, we better get going. When do you think I'll become immortal, anyway?"

"For all we know, you already are," he said. "Just don't test that theory, all right?"

Sonic nodded. Aragorn sighed, and they continued on towards Mordor. It was a while before they came across any monsters. When they did, it was a band of orcs. Aragorn drew his sword upon seeing them. Sonic smirked and turned into a wolf, lunging at the Orcs wile Aragorn killed some with his sword and left the rest for Sonic. Aragorn watched as wolf-Sonic tore through the orcs. He seemed to be a fast learner. A fact which Aragorn was glad for. When the orcs were all dead, Aragorn smiled at Sonic.

"Do you always learn so fast?"

The wolf nodded and turned back to normal. They began on the trail once more.

"Does your transforming affect the ring's hold on you at all?" It was something that had been bothering Aragorn for a while.

Sonic thought about it. "I don't think so."

"So you still have to resist it then." Aragorn sighed. There went that plan. "What do you plan to do once we reach Mordor? Other than bring the ring to Mount Doom, of course."

"I am not sure," Sonic said. "What do you think we should do? I am worried about Shadow."

"Perhaps we could try to find him. I don't think it'll matter whether we do it before or after destroying the ring."

"But if he's a Nazgul now, what will happen once the One Ring is destroyed?"

"You're right," Aragorn said. "We should find him first. Maybe something there can cure him."

Aragorn wasn't so sure of his own assurances. But Shadow wasn't an ordinary Nazgul.

Sonic sighed and shrugged. "I'm not sure about that. Anyway, how long did you say it will take to get to Mordor?"

"Somewhere around a month, maybe."

"Alright," Sonic said.

Aragorn nodded, and they continued on.


	16. Captured

Chapter 16: Captured  


Some time had passed before they came to some marshes. On the other side, they could see Mordor.

"We're almost there," Sonic said. He clutched the ring. Over the past month since they had left Dol Guldur, the ring had grown heavier, and was corrupting him. Aragorn turned and noticed.

"Sonic, you remember why we're going to Mordor, don't you?"

The hedgehog looked at him and nodded.

"Good." Aragorn looked back over the marshes. "I have no idea how we're going to get across these."

Sonic thought about it. "If you want, I could transform into a dragon and fly us across."

Aragorn looked back at the hedgehog. He'd never given thought to flying before. He nodded, unsure of whether or not he was making the right choice.

"Alright," Sonic said. "I'll have to land outside of Mordor so that we won't be seen."

He closed his eyes and then began to transform. Aragorn watched as once again, Sonic's body reshaped into something so much larger than himself. Just as the other forms Sonic had, the dragon was blue. Aragorn hesitantly lay a hand on Sonic's side as he tried to figure out how he was supposed to get onto his back. The dragon lay down, allowing Aragorn to get on. Then, Sonic growled and flew into the air at a fast speed. Sonic grinned; even in his other forms, he still had his super speed.

Aragorn was startled as Sonic took off at that speed. He'd never imagined someone could go so fast. He held onto the dragon the best he could and hoped nothing caused him to fall off. A minute later, they had crossed the Dead Marshes. Sonic landed near the mountains into Mordor and let Aragorn off, then transformed back to normal. His eyes widened and he clutched the ring and groaned, then fell to his knees.

"The ring...it's corrupting me," he said.

"Would it help if I took it?" Aragorn asked. "Give you some space from it?" He knew it was a bad idea as it left his mouth.

Sonic's eyes widened and he backed away, shaking his head. "No, it's mine! My own; my precious!"

Aragorn stared at him. Sonic's outburst had startled him. "Maybe you do need some time away from it."

"No...no, it's fine. I have to do this; it's my burden to bear."

Aragorn nodded hesitantly. "Try not to lose yourself completely. I can't protect you from yourself."

Sonic nodded. "I'll try not to but it's not going to be easy. We should get going; it will take a while to get into Mordor."

Aragorn nodded his agreement and they both started on their way.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sauron and the Nazgul were in Barad-Dur, looking at the captured Gandalf and Legolas. Sauron looked at Shadow, extremely pleased with him.

"You have done well," he said. "I will make you my second-in-command. Take these two to the dungeons."

Shadow bowed and started leading Gandalf and Legolas to the dungeons. When he came back, he looked at Sauron and bowed, wondering what he should do next.

Sauron looked down at Shadow as he decided what to have him do. "I can sense the One Ring is about to enter Mordor. Capture Sonic, and bring him to me," the Dark Lord said.

Shadow nodded before standing and leaving. It wouldn't be hard to find Sonic. He got on his dragon and flew off, looking for Sonic. He smirked as he sensed the ring. Following the ring's pull, it didn't take him long to find Sonic. The Nazgul grinned and saw them, then jumped to the ground walked near him. Shadow drew his sword as he approached, wary of Aragorn's presence.

Sonic suddenly felt the ring grow very heavy and he looked around curiously. "What is it, Sonic?" Aragorn asked.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I...sense something."

"You think it's a Nazgul?" Aragorn looked around as well.

Sonic hesitated and then nodded, looking at Aragorn. "I'm sure of it."

Aragorn kept his eye out for either the Nazgul or it's dragon. Shadow decided there was really no point to trying to sneak up on them.

He charged suddenly, catching them both off guard. Aragorn yelled in surprise and reached for his sword and saw Sonic suddenly transform into a dragon, growling menacingly at Shadow.

"So, the ring has given you some powers," he said. Shadow gripped his sword tighter. This turn of events would make things a little harder for him.

The dragon growled and let out a stream of fire but Shadow dodged it and screeched loudly. Then he smirked and breathed on Sonic, using the Black Breath. Sonic's eyes widened and he suddenly fell unconscious, then returned to his normal form. Shadow snarled as Aragorn attacked him. He didn't have time to deal with Aragorn. He grabbed Sonic and got on his dragon, then flew back to Barad-Dur. Immediately upon landing, Shadow brought Sonic to Sauron.

"You have the ringbearer," Sauron said.

"Yes, my Lord," Shadow said. "What would you have me do with him?"

"Take him to the dungeons...but give me the ring first. Is there anything else that you want to tell me?"

Shadow took the ring from Sonic and handed it to Sauron as he spoke. "What do you mean, Master?"

"I know the ring gives people who wear it powers. Did he have any powers you saw?"

"He transformed into a dragon."

Sauron's eyes widened. "So, he can shapeshift. Interesting..." He thought about it and grinned, then looked at Shadow. "Take him to the dungeon."

Shadow brought Sonic to the dungeons and found a cell to place him in. He grinned and chuckled, then walked back to Sauron and bowed. "He's in the dungeon, master. What is our next course of action?"

Sauron grinned. "Now, to take over Middle-Earth."

"How do we begin?"

Sauron chuckled and held up the ring. "With this."

Shadow nodded in agreement.

"I will speak to Sonic. After that, we shall begin our takeover of Middle-Earth!"

He went down to the dungeon as Shadow followed him. Sauron stopped in front of Sonic's cell as Sonic began waking. Shadow watched him from his place at Sauron's side.

"What can you do now?" Sauron said. "Your quest has failed."

Sonic looked around before glaring at Sauron and Shadow. "Why are you doing this?" He asked. "You've captured me, Gandalf and Legolas. What are you two going to do?"

"Conquer all of Middle-earth," Sauron said. "With you locked away here, no one will be able to stop me."

"And what if I escape?" Sonic asked.

Sauron looked at Shadow, and then back to Sonic. "You came from another world, is that right?"

Sonic nodded. Sauron summoned something in his hands before hitting the both of them with a ball of energy. A sharp tingling overtook their bodies as something changed within them. Sauron grinned as he felt their energies alter.

"What...what have you done?" Sonic asked him angrily, and looked at Shadow also.

"You cannot leave this world," Sauron said. "You no longer have a choice in the matter."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My magic has bound the both of you to this world. You can never return to where you came from. Your friend shall help me take my rightful place as ruler of this world. You will have to sit by and watch it happen."

Sonic's eyes widened and he transformed into a wolf, lunging at Sauron. Unfortunately, the bars were blocking him and he turned back to normal and glared at Sauron in hatred. Sauron found amusement in Sonic's rage.

"He can do no harm." Sauron said as he left the dungeon, motioning for Shadow to follow.

The Ringwraith nodded and followed Sauron, already thinking of what they would do now that the One Ring was back where it belonged.


	17. The Plan

Chapter 17: The Plan

Sonic watched them go before falling onto his butt in the cell. He sighed, wondering what do do. Then he remembered: Aragorn was still out there! Maybe he could help Sonic escape. Sonic still has his shapeshifting powers too; he could transform into something small and fly out of the cell. Concentrating hard, Sonic transformed into a small bird and flew between the bars. Finding his way out of the fortress was harder. It took nearly half an hour of flying and avoiding everything wandering around until he finally flew out one of the windows. Now, he just had to find Aragorn.

The last place he saw him was on the outskirts of Mordor. Sonic smirked and flew out of Mordor, and saw Aragorn. He landed, and turned back to normal.

"I need your help," Sonic said.

"Where did..." Seeing Sonic again so soon was surprising. He changed his mind and asked, "What do you need help with?"

"Sauron has the One Ring. I need to take it back from him, and cast it into Mount Doom. Also, Gandalf and Legolas have been captured."

Aragorn nodded. "You want me to help you free them then."

Sonic smirked. "Yeah, sure."

"You have a plan, don't you?"

"Possibly. Do you have any ideas?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure how well two people can pull off something like this."

"My shapeshifting powers will come in handy," Sonic said. "Here's what I'll do: I'll transform into an Orc and take you 'prisoner', then we'll sneak into the dungeons and free them."

"Sounds good."

Sonic nodded. He closed his eyes and began to transform.

"How do we do this without calling up any suspicion?"

Sonic finished transforming as Aragorn spoke.

The Orc thought about it. "Well...we can go to Cirith Ungol; there's a passage leading to Barad-Dur from there."

Aragorn nodded before looking to his sword.

"Should I give this to you then? I wouldn't look much like a prisoner carrying it around."

Sonic nodded, and Aragorn handed him the sword. He took out some rope also and bound Aragorn's arms behind his back. Aragorn fidgeted a little as Sonic bound his arms. He waited for Sonic to lead him before actually moving at all. The Orc led Aragorn to Cirith Ungol, and then took the path to Barad-Dur. Every orc they came across ignored them, falling for Sonic's trick. Aragorn looked up as Barad-Dur came into view. A few minutes later, they had reached Barad-Dur and walked inside. Sonic saw Sauron and walked up to him with the Aragorn.

"My Lord, I have captured Aragorn. He was seen crossing Mordor looking for Sonic," the transformed Orc said.

Sauron looked at Aragorn. "Very well. Take him to the dungeons."

Sonic nodded and led Aragorn down to the dungeons. Once there, he made sure no one was watching and then transformed back to normal, taking Aragorn's bindings off. A few minutes later, Aragorn had located the keys and freed Legolas and Gandalf.

"What do we do now?" Aragorn asked. "There are orcs all over the place, and the Nazgul are bound to be around here somewhere."

Legolas looked at them. "We must take the ring back from Sauron. Gandalf, do you have any ideas?"

Gandalf thought it over for a while. It wouldn't be easy to get the ring from Sauron.

"If he is wearing the ring, then we would need to cut it off," Gandalf said, and looked at Aragorn. "How did you get here without being detected, anyway?"

"Sonic transformed into an orc and led me here."

Gandalf and Legolas looked at Sonic, expecting an explanation.

"The ring gave me the power to shapeshift," Sonic said.

"That's a useful ability," Legolas said. He looked at Gandalf. "Could it help us get the ring?"

Gandalf thought about it and nodded.

"What should he turn into, though?" Aragorn asked.

"Would an inanimate object work?" Sonic asked.

"That would depend on the object," Gandalf said, "and how it will do what it sets out to do."

"What would you suggest?"

Everyone thought it over.

"Something sharp would make the most sense if he's wearing it," Legolas suggested.

"I could turn into a sword or some sort of weapon," Sonic told them.

"But how would it get to Sauron?" Aragorn asked. "Swords can't just hop around on their own. That would raise more than a little suspicion."

"Someone would have to carry me. Any other ideas? How about I turn myself into the One Ring?"

"But he already has that. I don't think that would work out very well."

Sonic nodded, thinking. What could he turn into that would get the ring from Sauron?

"I don't suppose a Nazgul or an Orc would work," Aragorn said. "Any way we could distract him and take the ring from him then?"

"I'm not sure," Sonic said. "Maybe Gandalf could cast a spell that would create a distraction, and then I could transform into a sword to cut the ring from Sauron's hand. Someone would have to carry me, though."

Legolas and Aragorn shrugged. It was better than no plan.

"Let's give it a try."

Sonic nodded. "Who's going to carry me when I transform?"

"I will," Aragorn said.

"Alright," Sonic said. He closed his eyes, and began to transform. His legs narrowed and merged together to become a sword blade, and his feet grew into a sharp pointed tip. Sonic's arms formed two small edges, and his head became the hilt of a sword. Then, the sword dropped to the ground as Aragorn picked it up. Everyone looked at it in awe.

"That was impressive," Legolas said.

"We should hurry."

The group left the dungeon and made their way to Sauron's location. When they found him, they set their plan in motion. Gandalf drove his staff into the ground, creating a loud noise. Sauron looked in that direction. "See what that was," he told Shadow.

The Nazgul nodded and left. A few minutes later, Aragorn came out and faced him, sword in hand. Sauron didn't waste any time with talk. Aragorn avoided the first attack Sauron threw at him. Getting back to his feet, he retaliated.

Sauron brought his sword down, aiming at Aragorn's head but Aragorn blocked it. The two ended up in deadlock before Aragorn suddenly ducked, swinging his sword at Sauron's legs. The Dark Lord rolled to the ground in order to avoid the blow. He got up and suddenly vanished, appearing behind Aragorn's back. Aragorn turned but felt a heavy blow as Sauron kicked him the the back, causing him to fall to the ground. Sauron raised his sword, poised at Aragorn's back.

Aragorn started lifting himself from the floor. That kick had hurt. He rolled to the side to avoid what Sauron had planned next. Sauron's sword barely missed, hitting the floor where Aragorn had been laying. Aragorn looked at the sword as he got to his feet. He looked at the sword Sonic had transformed into and swung it at Sauron, slicing it on Sauron's arm. The Dark Lord yelled in pain and dropped the sword but the Aragorn sliced his finger off where the One Ring was, which landed on the ground.

Aragorn grabbed the ring and ran from the room. Once out there, he started to let go of Sonic. They had to return to the others. Sonic had returned to his normal form and grabbed the ring from Aragorn, placing it around his neck one again. They ran to the others, who smiled as they saw the plan had succeeded.


	18. Destruction of the Ring

Chapter 18: Destruction of the Ring

"We should get out of here," Aragorn said. "How do we get to Mount Doom from here?"

"It's not far from here," Sonic said.

The group got out of Barad-Dur as soon as they could. They continuously came under attack now that they were escaping from the fortress. Luckily, the Nazgul hadn't gotten involved yet. Sonic had transformed into a wolf and ran towards the mountain, with the rest of the Fellowship following him. Once they got there, the Nazgul appeared and ran towards them with Shadow in the lead.

Aragorn, Gandalf, and Legolas drew their swords and met the Nazgul in combat. Shadow went straight for Sonic. The wolf turned back to normal, knowing he couldn't hurt the Nazgul in that form. A few minutes later he had transformed into a giant Balrog and roared, cracking his whip as fire flared around him.

Shadow reared back, stumbling on himself in his haste to put distance between them. A screech matched Sonic's roar. He couldn't get near the other in that form. The Nazgul shrieked also but continued to attack. They swung their swords at the Balrog but it had no effect; the swords caught on fire as they came into contact with the Balrog's flaming body. The swords grew so hot that the Nazgul dropped them instantly.

All ten Nazgul backed away from the Balrog before they caught on fire themselves. The Balrog roared again before backing up the mountain, nearing the Crack of Doom. Shadow watched as Sonic approached the Crack of Doom. With any luck, Sonic would have to transform back before he could throw the ring in. Then he could attack.

He was right. The Balrog turned back to normal as he entered. Sonic looked at the ring and then saw the lava below him, hesitating to throw the ring in. That hesitancy was all that Shadow needed. The Nazgul grabbed his hand and tried to take the ring from him. Sonic swung around and gasped as Shadow took the ring. He growled in anger and tried to take it back.

"Give it here! It's mine; my own! My...precious," Sonic said, now completely under the influence of the One Ring.

Shadow held the ring above Sonic's head. He had to return it to where it rightfully belonged. Pushing Sonic to the ground, he began leaving the area. Sonic growled, then transformed into a dragon. Flapping his wings, he hovered in the air and breathed fire at the Nazgul. Shadow was forced back toward the lava as fire descended on him. He figured it made most sense to go under the dragon. It wouldn't be able to reach him so easily there.

The Nazgul looked up at the dragon, wondering what to do. Then he smirked and went underneath the dragon so that it couldn't see him. Every time Sonic moved, Shadow moved with him. At the rate they were going, neither of them were going to win any time soon. The dragon looked around for the Nazgul, wondering where he was. Sonic growled in frustration.

Shadow watched as Sonic got more frustrated. He didn't know what he'd do if Sonic decided to land. Sonic growled once more and flew around, looking for Shadow. A few minutes later he saw him and landed on the walkway, then turned back to normal. Shadow summoned his sword and pointed it at Sonic as he moved back toward the entrance. He watched the other intently, trying to predict what he would do next.

The blue hedgehog glared at him and lunged, trying to take back the ring. Shadow raised his sword to attack the blue hedgehog. He plunged his sword into Sonic's chest, who gasped in pain. The Nazgul smirked and took his sword out of Sonic's chest but was surprised when he saw the wound heal instantly. This could only mean one thing: Sonic was immortal.

Shadow snarled in rage as he stabbed his sword into the other once more. If Sonic was in pain, he couldn't go after him so easily. He left the sword there and continued on his way. Sonic grunted and grasped the sword's hilt, pulling it out of his chest. He gasped in pain as the wound healed but felt pain in his chest. He ran after Shadow, eager to take the ring back.

Shadow looked behind himself when he heard the footsteps. Cursing Sonic's newfound immortality, he tried to run faster. Sonic smirked and ran full speed at the Nazgul, tackling him to the ground. They wrestled for possession of the ring.

"Give me my precious!" Sonic said.

"No!" Shadow yelled. "I can't let you have it!"

The ring fell from their grasp and rolled across the ground. Shadow kicked Sonic away before going after it himself.

"It's mine!" Sonic said. He saw the ring fall and rushed after it. "Sauron must not have it."

"Sauron needs it more than you do!"

Shadow rushed after the ring as well. Sonic saw the ring then grabbed it, rushing back to the Crack of Doom. He looked at the ring but temptation claimed him. He smirked and put the ring on his finger. Shadow went after Sonic as he saw him slip the ring onto his finger. The Nazgul smirked and screeched, alerting the other Ringwraiths.

The rest of the Nazgul came to his aid in moments. They saw Sonic and smirked, rushing forward to capture him once more. However, Sonic saw them also. Shadow came at him as well, determined to take the ring from him. With all ten Nazgul attacking him at once, he should have problems getting away.

Sonic's eyes widened and he fell to the ground, trying to get away from them. He took the ring off and glared at them hatefully. Before he knew it, he was at the edge of the cliff; a pool of lava lay below him. Shadow and the other Nazgul approached Sonic. Most of them had their gazes focused on the ring.

Suddenly, a flash of fire appeared, burning all ten Nazgul. They whirled around, screeching, and saw Gandalf shooting fire from his staff. He looked at Sonic. "Cast it into the fire; destroy it!"

Shadow screeched in rage as he tried to put the fire out. This gave enough time for Sonic to do what he had to do. He looked at the ring and threw it into the lava. The Nazgul screeched as the ring fell into the lava and melted. They screeched in pain as lava exploded from the volcano, hitting them instantly. The Nazgul screeched as their power was lost and they died. Sonic turned around and his eyes widened in both fear and shock as Shadow was killed also.


	19. The Transformation

Chapter 19: The Transformation  


The rest of the Fellowship arrived in time to witness the sight.

"We have to get out of here," Aragorn said. "The volcano is erupting."

"But what about Shadow?" Sonic asked. "He's...he's dead!"

They looked at the Ringwraith's body. It was true, he was dead. But they had to get out of there.

"There's nothing we can do about it," Aragorn said.

Sonic fell to his knees, sobbing. "It was because he was a Nazgul," he said. "No...it can't be..."

"Sonic, we have to go!" Aragorn snapped.

The hedgehog nodded and then ran out of the volcano. Mordor was crumbling around them. Sonic stopped and transformed into a dragon, allowing everyone to get on. Then he flapped his wings and flew out of Mordor, watching it being destroyed.

"What about Shadow?" Legolas asked.

"I...I don't know," Sonic said. "Why...why did he die?"

Aragorn and Legolas didn't know what to say to him. Aragorn had been the one telling him Shadow would probably be all right. Gandalf thought it over.

Sonic glared at him. "Well?"

"I'm unsure. He wasn't created in the same manner as the others. The other Nazgul were corrupted by Sauron; Shadow, however, was turned into a Nazgul by the effect of the Morgul blade that stabbed him." Gandalf didn't know what to tell him.

"Was it because he was a Nazgul when the ring was destroyed?"

Gandalf hesitated, and thought about it some more. "Most likely."

Sonic's eyes widened and he whirled around, looking at Aragorn. Tears were streaming down his face, and he started to shout at the ranger. "You told me that he would be all right! You said that he wouldn't die!"

"I thought it would be different for him."

"How? He was still a Nazgul, and his soul was tied to Sauron's! So how would it have been any different?" Sonic shouted. "TELL ME!"

Aragorn, Legolas and Gandalf looked at each other nervously; they had never seen Sonic act this way before. None of them knew what to say to him. Aragorn honestly didn't know what he'd been thinking. Telling Sonic he'd said it purely to assure him wouldn't be a smart idea.

"I just thought that being from another world entirely may have an impact on whether or not he'd die. How was I to know that things didn't work that way?" Aragorn said.

Sonic scoffed and turned his back. Aragorn frowned as he saw Sonic crying. Why would Shadow's death have such an impact on him? The ranger cleared his throat and spoke.

"He meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

"Of...of course," Sonic said, turning around to face them. "We...we loved each other."

The rest of the Fellowship nodded. That made sense of why Sonic would be so upset.

"What?" Sonic asked, seeing the looks on their faces.

"You're both..." Legolas let his sentence die in the middle.

Things were suddenly awkward around the group. Aragorn spoke up. "That makes sense of a lot of things."

"We're both...what? Male? Is that what you were going to say, Legolas?" Sonic asked, offended. Legolas hesitated and nodded. Sonic turned to Aragorn, his voice rising. "And what do you mean by 'that makes sense of a lot of things'?"

"How worried you were for him. The way the two of you acted around each other. Not to mention that first morning when I got back to the room at the Prancing Pony, you two were kissing." Aragorn couldn't believe he'd forgotten about that. "Now that I think about it, the two of you didn't try terribly hard to hide it."

Sonic looked down nervously. "We didn't really...want our relationship kept secret, and we didn't know how people would react of they saw us...together."

"Not many would accept something like that," Aragorn said. "I, for one, think you shouldn't have to hide. Might as well be with your own race."

Legolas shot him a look at those words. The elf looked at Sonic, as did Gandalf.

Sonic gulped. "And what do you two think about...?"

Legolas looked away from the hedgehog.

"As long as you are happy, nobody else's opinions should matter." Gandalf gave Sonic a smile.

Sonic nodded but the noticed Legolas's expression, and frowned.

"My thoughts on the matter aren't important," Legolas said. "What is important is what we are going to do now."

"Well...I can't go back to Earth," Sonic said.

"What do you mean?" Aragorn asked.

"When I was captured, Sauron put a spell on Shadow and I; we can't go back to our planet and are here in Middle-Earth forever."

The Fellowship looked at the body of the Nazgul.

"There really is nothing we can do?" Legolas looked at Gandalf.

Gandalf thought about it and shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Sonic's eyes widened. "You can't bring him back to life?"

Gandalf shook his head. "I'm not that powerful."

"Is there any way to bring him back?"

Gandalf shook his head once again. A cloud of sadness settled over the group. "Once a person dies, they cannot be resurrected," Gandalf said.

Sonic looked at him and sighed. "I...I see."

The others didn't know what to do now.

"Is there anything you can do, Gandalf?" Sonic asked.

The wizard thought about it. "I could transform someone into Shadow, I suppose...but I don't know if Aragorn or Legolas would want that."

Legolas and Aragorn both shook their heads.

Sonic sighed and looked at them. "Are you sure?"

Aragorn thought about it and then sighed, smiling. "If you really want me to. It might actually be fun."

Sonic smiled. "Sure," he said.

Gandalf nodded. "Very well, then. Just to let you know, it will be permanent and you will have a mental change."

Aragorn considered Gandalf's words and nodded. This, however, concerned Sonic. "What do you mean by mental change?"

"I mean Aragorn will no longer think the way he does now."

Sonic was still confused, and looked at Aragorn for another explanation.

"I think he means I'll be more like Shadow," Aragorn said.

Sonic's eyes widened and he nodded. "You're okay with that?"

Aragorn smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine."

Sonic grinned and looked at Gandalf. "Very well; transform him into Shadow."

Gandalf focused on Shadow's appearance as he summoned the energy required. Pointing his staff at Aragorn, he chanted a few words. The energy flew at Aragorn, who simply stood by and waited. Much like Sonic's first transformation, it was painful. His entire body had to reshape itself while also becoming covered in fur and quills. An expression of pain came onto his face during the process and when it was done, Shadow stood before them.


	20. Shadow's Return

Chapter 20: Shadow's Return

Sonic's eyes widened and he smiled. "Shadow..."

Shadow looked at him and nodded, smiling back. "Sonic." Shadow spread his arms, not caring to move his aching legs. The blue hedgehog cried out and ran over to Shadow, hugging him tightly. Shadow wrapped his arms around Sonic. He looked at Gandalf with a smile. "Thank you."

Gandalf smiled. "You're welcome."

Shadow kept his smile and looked at Sonic, kissing him passionately. Gandalf and Legolas looked away, giving the two their privacy. The two pulled away and blushed.

"I love you," Shadow whispered.

"I love you too," Sonic said, kissing him back.

"How'd you get me back?" Shadow asked.

"Gandalf transformed Aragorn into you."

"He didn't mind at all?"

Sonic shook his head.

"So is Aragorn still here at all, or did I completely take over?" Shadow asked Gandalf.

"You took him over completely," Gandalf told him. "The transformation is permanent, along with a complete mental change."

Shadow looked down. He wasn't sure whether he liked that fact or not. "I'll try not to think about that," he said. He gave Sonic another quick kiss before speaking again. "At least I'm back with you."

Sonic nodded. "So am I," he said.

"Where do we go now?" Shadow asked.

"We stay here in Middle-Earth," Sonic said. "Sauron cast a spell on us so we can't go back to Earth. Also, the ring has made me immortal and given me the power to shapeshift."

"I remember that," Shadow said. His eyes lit up and his ears perked suddenly. "We can go to Rivendell now."

Sonic nodded and smiled. "Shadow, I wanted to say that I forgive you for doing what you did while under Sauron's control as a Nazgul."

Shadow gave a small laugh. "After everything else I've had to be forgiven for?" He smiled; now that he and Sonic were back together, nothing would separate them.

Gandalf cleared his throat, and they looked at him. A smile formed on the wizard's face. "I'm glad the two of you are happy with each other."

Sonic nodded and chuckled, then looked at Shadow.

"Back to Rivendell for now?" Shadow suggested. "We can plot out some other adventure from there."

"Yeah," Sonic said. "That will be fine."

Gandalf and Legolas looked at them and nodded. The group left to return to Rivendell for the time being.

"It was nice of you to transform Aragorn into Shadow," Legolas told Gandalf.

"It was Aragorn who made the decision," Gandalf said. "What do you think of the transformation?"

"I think it worked wonderfully," Legolas said. "Shadow seems to be himself. They're happy together."

Gandalf smiled and nodded, looking at the two hedgehogs. Shadow snatched Sonic's hand with his as they walked. Sonic smiled, and the two held hands.

"How long will it take to get to Rivendell?" Sonic asked Gandalf.

"A few months, just like when we left," Gandalf said. "Unless you know of a faster way."

Sonic grinned and nodded. "I could transform into a dragon and fly us there."

"That would work," Shadow said.

Sonic transformed into a dragon then so everyone could go at once. He flapped his wings and shot into the air, flying at a fast speed towards Rivendell. They got there in a few hours. Sonic landed and let them off, then transformed back to normal. Elrond saw then and smiled. "I have heard that your quest was successful," he said, and looked around, noticing that someone was missing. "Where is Aragorn?"

Gandalf pointed to Shadow.

Elrond looked at Shadow with confusion. "What happened?"

"I died, and Gandalf used some kind of spell to transform Aragorn into me," Shadow explained.

Elrond's eyes grew wide and he looked at Gandalf. "That's very interesting," he said.

Gandalf shrugged. Looking at the hedgehogs, he spoke. "I'll leave the two of you to decide what you're going to do from here."

They nodded, and he left. Sonic looked at Shadow. "Well, Shadow, we did it. Our quest has finished. Now that we're going to be in Middle-Earth forever, what do you want to do?"

"That depends on you." Shadow looked around. "I wouldn't mind staying in Rivendell for a while."

Sonic smiled and nodded. "So would I," he said. "That quest tired me out, and it took us six months to complete it. We could stay here for a while. I'm just wondering: after we leave Rivendell, where should we live in Middle-Earth?"

"Wandering's what you do best, isn't it?" Shadow asked. "We could do that and find a place."

"Okay; we can do that."

Shadow gave him a last quick kiss before dragging him off to find somewhere in Rivendell they could sleep for a while. Sonic smiled, glad that Shadow was back.


	21. A Day in Rivendell

Chapter 21: A Day in Rivendell

The next day, Sonic woke up. He groaned and saw Shadow lying next to him in the same bed. Sonic smiled and got out of bed as Shadow stirred and got up also.

"Where to first?" Shadow stretched as he asked.

Sonic shrugged. "Not sure. What do you want to do?"

"Something fun for once."

"Yeah, same here."

They remained in silence for a while, both thinking of what to do next.

"Wanna just hang out in Rivendell for a few days? Then we could go find a place to live," Sonic asked.

"Sounds great," Shadow replied.

Sonic smiled. He and Shadow walked around, then saw Gandalf talking to Elrond. Shadow looked at Sonic as the two got closer. Gandalf smiled, and then saw Shadow and Sonic. "Ah, there you are! Are you two enjoying your stay in in Rivendell?"

"We are," Shadow said.

"We'll be staying here for a few days and then leave to find a place to live," Sonic told the wizard.

Gandalf gave them a smile. "If you ever need any help, don't be afraid to ask," he said.

"What city do you suggest we live in?" Sonic asked.

"I can't tell you that," Gandalf chuckled. "Just find somewhere you're comfortable."

Sonic nodded, and he and Shadow walked off.

"There's bound to be somewhere that'll accept two gay people such as us," Shadow said.

Sonic chuckled and nodded. "How about Bree?"

"Why Bree?" Shadow looked at him as they walked.

The blue hedgehog shrugged. "First place that popped into my head. You have any ideas?"

"Bree's fine." Shadow grabbed Sonic's hand. "Not to sound sappy or anything, but I'll be happy as long as you're there with me."

Sonic smiled and nodded, and they walked to the balcony and looked out at the scenery. "This place is beautiful," Sonic said.

"It was built by elves," Shadow said. "What else would it be?"

"Yeah," Sonic said. "So, when do you want to leave?"

"Not until tomorrow at least." Shadow thought a moment before adding, "We going to head straight to Bree or take a roundabout route?"

"We can head straight for Bree. Hey, I'm just wondering: what did it feel like when you transformed from Aragorn into Shadow?"

Shadow leaned on the rail of the balcony and looked out across the city. Figuring that out took him a few minutes. "Weird," he finally said. "It was like I could feel everything for a single moment. Every feeling the both of us felt at that moment...both sets of memories raced through my mind, mixing together in a giant heap of confusion." Shadow paused. "Then there was a surge of heat and he was gone. The next thing I knew, I was back."

Sonic nodded. "What would have happened if the mental change hadn't occurred?"

"Then I wouldn't be here," Shadow laughed. "It would only be my body and voice. Aragorn's thoughts and feelings would drive me."

"I see," Sonic said. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too. So, what do you want to do now?"

Sonic thought about it. Then he pushed Shadow up against the wall and started kissing him passionately. Shadow's eyes widened in shock a moment before closing as he moved his lips against Sonic's. The two hedgehogs made out for a bit before stopping.

"Want to take this somewhere else?" Sonic asked.

"Good idea," Shadow said.

Sonic nodded. They went to their room and lay down on the bed, continuing to make out. Shadow pressed his mouth against Sonic's. Sonic did the same. Shadow moved over Sonic as he deepened the kiss. His arms went around Sonic's back as he pulled Sonic down onto him. The blue hedgehog smiled. Shadow's face was heating up as the kiss continued. Shadow ran his hands down Sonic's sides as he pulled their mouths apart. He was breathing heavily as he looked down at Sonic.

"That was an awesome make out session," Sonic said. "Do you want to stop, or continue?"

Shadow didn't respond for a few moments. "Whatever you want," he mumbled.

Sonic nodded and sighed, then stood up. Shadow smiled and stood up also.

"What do you want to do now?" Sonic asked. "We have the whole day in Rivendell before we leave."

"Why don't we see what the elves do around here? There's bound to be something interesting."

"All right."

He walked off, with Shadow following behind him. Soon, they saw Elrond and walked up to him.

"Hello again," Elrond said. "Was there anything you needed?"

"We were just wondering if there's anything to do around here," Sonic told him.

"There's plenty to do," Elrond said. He thought for a moment. "I'm not certain what interests you."

Sonic and Shadow looked at each other and then back at Elrond. Shadow cleared his throat and spoke. "As long as it doesn't involve just standing there, I'm sure we'll be fine."

Elrond nodded. "Feel free to do anything you like around here."

He walked away. Sonic looked at Shadow, grinning. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Something..." Shadow looked around, trying to think of anything he'd find interesting. It was harder than he thought it would be.

Sonic looked around also.

"We could get some food first." Shadow's ear had twitched as his stomach grumbled at him.

"Alright," Sonic said. "I have to admit, I am hungry."

They went to the dining room and saw Gandalf, Elrond, and the other elves at the table. The two hedgehogs sat down also, and Gandalf looked at them.

"Finding everything you need all right?" he asked.

They nodded. "Something to eat would be nice," Sonic told him.

"The elves have quite the wide selection," Gandalf said. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

Shadow shook his head before looking at Sonic.

"Do you have any chili dogs?" Sonic said with a grin.

Shadow looked at him. "Chili Dogs? Really?"

Gandalf looked confused. "I don't think so. We might be able to find something similar."

Sonic chuckled. "Never mind," he said. "We'll find something to eat."

Gandalf nodded. "The kitchen is just down the hall."

The two hedgehogs nodded and walked into the kitchen, grabbing some food. Shadow sat next to Sonic at one of the tables and started on his food. It obviously wasn't what he was used to, but it wasn't bad either. He looked at Sonic as he chewed the mouthful he had. The blue hedgehog nodded and continued to eat. Once they were done, they walked out of the room and up to the balcony.

"It's not so bad here," Shadow said.

Sonic smiled. "I love it; Rivendell's an amazing place."

Shadow nodded in agreement and turned to look at Sonic. "It is amazing," he said. "What time were you thinking of leaving, by the way?"

"Probably early in the morning. Or we could leave today. You wanted to live in Bree, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Sonic shrugged. "There are other cities in Middle-Earth, like Fornost or Rohan. When do you want to leave?"

"Whenever you're ready," Shadow said. "We could make sure we don't want to live somewhere else first. Shouldn't take long with our speed."

Sonic nodded. "I've heard Fornost is a vast city that's part of the kingdom of Arnor. It's only 100 miles from Bree."

"We should take a look at it."

"Alright. How about we go now?"

Shadow nodded. "Sure. Anything we should bring with us?"

Sonic thought about it. "I can't think of anything. What did you have in mind?"

"Food." Shadow gave him a smile. "Unless you wanted to solve that on the open road?"

"We can do that," Sonic said.

Shadow nodded. They saw Gandalf walk up to them.

"We're leaving now," Shadow said. "Rather than tomorrow. Any wisdom to grace us with?"

Gandalf smiled. "May the Valar protect you."

Sonic and Shadow nodded, and walked out of Rivendell to head towards Fornost.


	22. Living in Middle-Earth

Chapter 22: Living in Middle-Earth

Shadow soon found himself enjoying their trip. Without the ring, they weren't attacked by monsters out to kill them constantly. Sonic was with him, which was enjoyable to say the least. Looking at Sonic, he smiled.

His lover smiled back. "Hey, would it be better if I transformed into a giant eagle and flew us there?"

Shadow chuckled. "Flying could be fun."

Sonic grinned and then closed his eyes, willing himself to transform. His fur turned into blue feathers that covered his entire body. His arms widened as feathers covered them and they turned into wide wings. Sonic's legs thickened and grew longer with three razor sharp talons, yellow and rough in texture. A sharp pain struck his lower spine as his tail fanned out with three long tail feathers. Sonic's neck extended upwards and he felt his face starting to change as it hardened and grew outwards into a downwards pointed beak that was razor sharp at the tip. He opened his beak and let out a loud screech. In moments, a giant eagle stood before Shadow. His wings were outstretched and ready for takeoff. Shadow climbed onto his back, careful not to hurt him.

"Bring us down if you get tired," he said.

The eagle nodded and flapped his wings, taking off into the sky. Shadow smiled; this was really cool. He loved the feeling of the wind blowing in his face, and looked down at the land beneath them. A few hours later, they reached Fornost. Sonic landed and let Shadow off as he returned to normal.

"That was fun." Shadow started walking into town. "We should do it again sometime."

"Sure," Sonic said. He and Shadow looked around. "This place is pretty cool," he said.

Shadow laughed. "Shouldn't we take a look at the other places first? Don't want to jump the gun, Sonic."

Sonic smiled. "Alright. Where to next? There's Edoras, which is in the kingdom of Rohan."

"Okay."

Shadow took Sonic's hand and led him through the town. Once they'd seen the entire place, Sonic pointed them in the direction of the next town. He transformed into an eagle once more and flew to Edoras. Shadow once again watched as the ground flew by beneath them. It was a view he'd never tire of. Edoras came upon them fast. Sonic landed just outside the town and changed back when Shadow had climbed from his back.

"Let's look around here," Sonic suggested. Shadow nodded. The two went into the town, looking around. "This is a pretty nice place too," Sonic said. "What do you think, Shads?"

Shadow nodded in agreement. "It is. We'll need money to buy a house, you know."

Sonic nodded and pulled his wallet out, looking through the bills. "How much is a house going to cost?"

"How should I know?" Shadow didn't care, either. Not until they'd found one they wanted. "Most likely depends on where and which one, anyway."

"So, what city do you want to live in?"

"Edoras is nice," Shadow said. "Maybe this one?"

Sonic smiled. "Okay," he said.

Shadow kept on the lookout for any houses for sale. A few minutes later, they saw one, and walked inside. It looked like a wooden house. Shadow nodded as they looked around.

Sonic looked around also. "Yeah, this looks nice. It's not too fancy."

"Won't be too plain when we're done with it, either. Who do you suppose we talk to about buying it?"

Sonic shrugged. "Don't know; maybe King Theoden?"

Shadow gave him a small smile. "Let's give it a try."

"Okay," Sonic said. They left the house and came to the Golden Hall of Meduseld a few minutes later. King Theoden saw them and nodded.

"Welcome to Rohan," he said.

Sonic nodded and smiled. "We'd like to buy a house here."

King Théoden returned his smile. "We have some for sale," he said.

"We saw one that peaked out interest. How much is it?"

King Théoden motioned to one of the men at the side of the room. The man came over as the king spoke to the hedgehogs. "Show him which house it is, and he will help you."

They nodded, and left. A few minutes later, they came to the house that they wanted to buy. Shadow looked at the man and spoke.

"This is the one we were thinking of buying," he said. "We just need to know how much it is."

The man nodded and gave them the price. Shadow looked at Sonic as the blue hedgehog checked to see how much they had.

"I have around 100 dollars," Sonic told him, and then looked back at the man.

It wasn't as if the hedgehogs had chosen a fancy house or anything. And the place was virtually empty anyway. The man held out his hand. "You're going to want to get more fast," he said. "Not much in this house at the moment."

They nodded. The man left the hedgehogs to their business once they handed him the money. The hedgehogs went inside again.

"We should get this place fixed up," Sonic told Shadow. "Get some furniture in here."

Shadow looked at him and nodded. "What do we do to get the money?" Shadow asked. "We have no idea what kinds of jobs this place has to offer."

Sonic hesitated. "I am not sure," he said.

Shadow crossed his arms as he thought about it. Middle-Earth had to have some kind of job they could do that wouldn't be too hard on them.

The two hedgehogs went outside and looked around. "Judging by the landscape, I'd say people mostly do farm work around here," Sonic said.

"And how would we help with their farm work?" Shadow asked.

Sonic shrugged; he had no idea. Shadow didn't know what else they could do. It wasn't as if there was a high demand for anything at the present time.

"We'll figure something out," Sonic told him with a smile. "Most likely we'll have to get jobs as farmers or something like that."

Shadow nodded and the two went back inside.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Shadow looked around the empty room they were in.

"Find some furniture and move in. Maybe the king can help us."

Shadow nodded, and they went back up to the palace. Theoden smiled. "You have bought the house, I see."

Sonic nodded. "We need supplied for the house."

"My men can provide those things," Theoden said. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"I don't think we need anything else right now." Shadow looked at Sonic as he spoke. Should they ask about a job now or later?

Sonic nodded, and Shadow turned back to the king. "We were wondering if there were any open jobs we could have," he said.

Theoden thought about it and nodded. "The farmers could use some assistance in a few days," he said. "If you're willing, that is."

"That would be fine," Sonic said. "Anything else?"

Theoden nodded. "The Rohirrim could use a few more soldiers; they're the army of Rohan."

The two hedgehogs hesitated; they had seen enough battle and didn't really want to do that.

"We'll have to turn that one down, Your Majesty," Shadow said. "I think we've seen enough battle in our lives."

"That is fine," Theoden said. "The farm work will do."

Sonic and Shadow both smiled and nodded. The two left the hall and returned to their house. Inside, they started deciding what each room would be. After they did that, the two went to the bedroom and looked around. A few minutes later, a knock was heard at the door. Sonic opened it and saw that some of the king's servants had brought the things needed in the house. Shadow and Sonic watched as everything got set up. Half an hour later, they looked around their new house and lay on the bed, sighing in relief.


	23. Sonic's New Transformation

Chapter 23: Sonic's New Transformation

"Well, we've got our house," Shadow said. He turned his head to look at Sonic. "What do you suppose your friends are doing?"

Sonic hadn't thought about that. "You mean, our friends on Earth?"

Shadow nodded.

"I'm not really sure. They're probably going on with their lives, defeating Eggman and doing the things they usually do."

"Tails and Amy probably miss you," Shadow said. Then, a thought hit him and he grinned. "Say, what would you have done if Amy were here with you instead?"

Sonic's eyes widened. "I'd rather not think about it. She's such an annoying brat. I've told her over and over that I don't like her and she still continues to stalk me and claims I'm her boyfriend! It's maddening!"

Shadow laughed. That was exactly what he'd been expecting him to say. "I knew you'd say that." Shadow stared up at the ceiling, arms crossed behind his head.

Sonic nodded and he looked at Shadow. "I'd rather be here with you or my other friends other than Amy. At least we have a new life now."

Shadow smiled. "Hopefully one without too many interruptions," he said. Shadow rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around Sonic.

The blue hedgehog smiled back and looked at Shadow lovingly. "Shadow, I'm just wondering...what do you think abut having kids?"

Shadow thought carefully before responding. "So long as they're ours, it wouldn't be too bad. But would you even be able to transform your body properly?"

"I'm pretty sure I can," Sonic said. "My shapeshifting powers allow me to transform into anything, even change genders."

"You'd have to hold that shape, wouldn't you?" Shadow chuckled as a thought struck him. "Imagine how the people are bound to react."

Sonic nodded. "I'd be in female form until after the birth."

"You're genderswapping's bound to raise a few eyebrows," Shadow said. "How are we going to explain it?"

"I...I'm not sure," Sonic said. "Maybe tell the citizens I'm a shapeshifter. What do you suggest?"

"The shapeshifter plan works." Shadow shrugged. "We're not exactly the same race as them, either. For all they know, it could be normal for us."

Sonic thought about it and nodded. "That would work," he said. "And we'd be telling the truth, since I am a shapeshifter. Would you like me to transform now, or later?"

Shadow moved away from Sonic, sitting up in the bed. "I'd love to see how you plan on looking." Shadow smiled. "Do it now."

Sonic closed his eyes tight. Concentrating hard, he focused on changing himself into a woman. Pain sparked in his abdomen as he thought hard. Vaguely, he wondered what kind of woman Shadow would want. Rouge's shape was out of the question. He whimpered as the pain in his abdomen flared. Shadow would've tried to help if he wasn't worried about interrupting the process. Sonic's hips widened with a horrible cracking sound as he squirmed slightly on the bed. Muscle on his chest changed with one of the strangest sensations he'd ever felt. The hips went nicely with them, if a tad too wide. Sonic panted as the glow from the transformation moved down his legs and the pain dulled to an ache. Shadow laid a hand on one of her thighs and squeezed.

"You're lovely," he said. "How do you feel?"

Sonic opened her eyes and smiled. "Amazing," she said. Shadow chuckled; even Sonic's voice had changed to feminine. He stroked her fur and the pulled Sonic onto him.

"Silky to the touch, too," he added. Pulling her close, he lightly kissed her. "And soft." Sonic grinned and nodded, then kissed him back. Shadow wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her on his lap. "So how long are you going to be like this?" he asked against her lips.

"Well...if I get pregnant, I'll stay like this until I give birth," Sonic said. "Do you want me to change back now, or..."

She was interrupted by a kiss. Shadow moved his lips against hers, running his hands along her back.

"I want to get used to your new form," he whispered.

Sonic sat up and looked at him.

Shadow smiled at her and ran a hand along her ruffled fur. "What?"

Sonic smiled. "Just thinking about how happy we are together."

Shadow returned her smile. "Happier than I've ever been," he said. Grabbing her, he pulled her back down. "Let's get some sleep."

Sonic nodded, and closed her eyes, going to sleep also.


	24. Family

Chapter 24: Family

A few days had gone by and Sonic had been feeling sick. She was throwing up, and knew what was happening.

"Shads...I think I'm pregnant," Sonic said.

Shadow paused what he was doing and turned to look at her. "You're sure?"

"I'm pretty sure. I've had all the signs."

Shadow sighed. He'd said he wouldn't mind, but it was sooner than he'd thought it would be. "I'll do anything you need me to," he said. "I'm here for you."

Sonic sighed and hugged him. "I'll probably give birth in a month or two."

Shadow held her. "That's fast. Don't push yourself," he said.

"I won't," she said. "So, should we start working in the farm now, or..."

Shadow's eyes widened bit before he responded. "Yeah, we should. That won't hurt you or the baby at all, will it?"

Sonic thought about it. "I don't think so. I'm pretty early into the pregnancy, so it won't do any harm."

Shadow took Sonic's hand and started pulling her out of the house. "We should get to work," Shadow said.

The transformed female hedgehog nodded, and they went to King Theoden.

"We'd like to start working now," Shadow said.

King Théoden looked at Sonic with slight confusion. He could tell who the blue hedgehog was despite the gender. "Isn't Sonic supposed to be male?" He asked.

Sonic nodded. "I'm a shapeshifter, Your Majesty."

King Théoden's confusion lessened a bit then.

"It won't affect anything," Shadow said. "She's still capable of the same things."

The king nodded. "Very well; you two may start work. The farms are on the outskirts of the city."

Shadow and Sonic bowed, then walked out into the fields to start farming. The two of them collapsed in bed at the end of the day.

Sonic sighed. "That was hard work," she said. "But I think I can get used to it."

"Same here." Shadow kissed her before laying next to her again.

Sonic smiled and kissed him back. Before long, the two hedgehogs were fast asleep.

* * *

A few months passed, and Sonic and Shadow were happily living in Rohan, working as farmers. They had told the people that Sonic could shapeshift, and everyone seemed quite intrigued with that. Sonic and Shadow had also gotten married. Sonic lay in bed next to Shadow before gasping in pain, clutching her abdomen.

"Shads...I...I'm giving birth!"

"What?" Shadow shouted. He sat in bed, mind racing with worry. He had no idea what he should do to help her. "What do I do?"

Sonic panted and started pushing. A few minutes later, she had given birth to a baby boy. She groaned in pain as Shadow saw that she was transforming back to a male. One Sonic was back in his normal form, he sat up and handed the baby to Shadow.

Shadow looked down at the baby in his arms. "Good job, Sonic," Shadow said. He looked back at Sonic. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he said. "But I just want to rest for a while. What should we name him?"

Shadow looked down at the baby boy. He was crying, moving his little arms around in the air. "Nothing's coming to mind," Shadow said. "How are we going to feed him?"

Sonic thought about it. He turned back into a female and took the baby from Shadow, who knew what she was doing.

"I'll let you handle it, then." Shadow smiled as he watched her.

"It looks like I'll have to stay as a female for a while longer," Sonic said, holding the baby to her chest.

"I won't mind," Shadow said. Sonic nodded and smiled. Shadow sat next to her and put an arm around her. "The baby needs the milk, after all. How long do you think he'll need it?"

"Probably a few more weeks," she said.

Shadow nodded. "I'll take care of the work. You focus on caring for our baby."

"Alright," Sonic said, and kissed him.

"I love you," Shadow whispered. He moved to kiss their baby on the forehead before telling him the same thing.

"I love you too."

Shadow returned to lying on the bed with Sonic as the baby fell asleep on her. Sonic smiled and wrapped her arms around Shadow. The two returned to their slumber, the baby curled on his mother.

The next day, Shadow woke up and saw Sonic and the baby still sleeping. Sonic woke up and smiled as Shadow got out of bed to get ready for work.

"Morning," Shadow said with a smile. "I'll be back later."

Shadow gave her and their son each a kiss before leaving. The baby yawned and rubbed his hands over his eyes before crying loudly. His stomach rumbled as he lay in his mother's arms. Sonic smirked and held the child to her chest as he drank. His hand grabbed at her, grabbing a handful of fur. When he was done, he giggled up at her.

Sonic smiled and looked at him. She would have to think of a name for him. Maybe...Shadic? He grabbed Sonic's fur again, giggling and kicking his feet. His own small burp startled him and he looked up at his mother with wide eyes. She chuckled and looked at him. How long would she have to be a female for? Sonic hoped she could change back into a male because she didn't want to be a female forever.

Shadow returned the same time the two always got home in the afternoon. The moment he did so, he ran to his wife and baby.

"I'm home," he said. Shadow gave the both of them a kiss.

Sonic smiled and hugged him. "Glad you're back," she said, kissing him. "I came up with a name for the baby...Shadic."

"It's a nice name." Shadow looked down at the baby. He was sitting there, giggling at his parents. "What do you think?" he asked him.

Shadic giggled and nodded.

"Shadow...I'd like to change back to a male soon, but...would you like me to stay as a female forever or go back to being male?"

"I love you either way," Shadow said.

Sonic nodded and thought about it. Shadow looked back at Shadic and smiled. He was happy he had a family now. Sonic smiled also, then walked up to Shadow and kissed him. "I...I'm not really sure what I should do," she said.

"Whatever you want to do," Shadow said. "You're Sonic the Hedgehog."

She nodded. "I'll have to stay a female until Shadic doesn't need milk anymore, anyway."

"You could always switch back and forth with how you happen to be feeling." Shadow looked at Shadic for a moment before adding, "We can explain it to him if he ever asks."

Sonic thought about it, then smiled. Shadow returned her smile and Shadic cried loudly to get his mother's attention. Sonic looked at him then chuckled and held Shadic, patting his back. She looked at Shadow lovingly. "I'm happy we're a family now," she said.

Shadic grabbed his mother's face before giggling at her.

"I think we're all happy for that," Sonic said.

Sonic smiled and nodded. "I'll go back to being male after Shadic doesn't need milk anymore."

"All right."

Sonic sighed. She went to the bedroom and Shadow followed him, carrying Shadic. The two lay down and fell asleep.

When Shadic no longer needed his mother's milk, Sonic transformed back into a male. Shadow smiled and looked at Shadic. He lifted the baby and turned him toward Sonic. "This is how your mother usually looks," he said.

Shadic's eyes widened and he clapped his hands, laughing happily. Then he reached out towards Sonic, who took him. Sonic smiled and kissed Shadow.

"I love you," he said. "I'm glad we have a new life here in Middle-Earth."

"I'm glad too. Love you."

Sonic smiled and nodded, looking at his son and partner. Things were going to be all right.


	25. Two Years Later

Chapter 25: Two Years Later  


Two years had passed since Sonic and Shadow had come to Middle-Earth. They were happily living in Rohan, and liked their new jobs as farmers. Their son was two years old now, and they were very happy. The two took turns caring for Shadic and farming. They would've had someone else look after him, but every time another person tried, Shadic would start crying.

Sonic was farming, and it was hard work. Once he was done, he came home and saw Shadow and Shadic.

"Hey," he said. "How are you two doing?"

Shadow looked up from his place on the floor. "Just fine."

Shadic sat up on Shadow's chest and reached toward Sonic. The blue hedgehog smiled and picked his son up. Shadow sat up and smiled at the two of them.

"How'd your day go?" Shadow asked.

"It was fine," Sonic said.

Shadow got up from his seat on the floor. "What's for dinner?" he asked as he stretched.

Sonic thought about it. "What do you want?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked you."

"How about some honey cakes?"

"Sure."

Sonic smiled and nodded, then went into the kitchen to make the food. Half an hour later, he came out with the honey cakes. "Dinner is served," he said.

Shadow smiled and started eating. "Do you ever wish something would happen?" Shadow asked.

"Like what? Another adventure?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

Sonic thought about it. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. What about you?"

"Why else would I be asking?"

Sonic grinned and chuckled, then continued to eat. After they finished eating, they went to the bedroom and sat down. Shadic sat on Sonic's lap and the two hedgehogs looked at each other.

"I would like to go on another adventure," Sonic said. "But not right away. We have a kid to take care of, and I'm enjoying this time together."

"I didn't mean this instant," he laughed.

Sonic laughed also. "I know," he said.

Shadow reached over and rubbed the top of Shadic's head. "Should we try once he's a little older?"

Sonic nodded. He lay down as Shadow did also. The two looked at each other lovingly.

"Will Shadic come with us or stay here with someone?" Shadow asked.

"I'm not sure," Sonic said. "He'd probably come with us."

"Speaking of which, you think he inherited anything from us?" The both of them looked down at Shadic.

"Possibly," Sonic said. "Maybe my shapeshifting powers and immortality. What do you think?"

"The immortality would certainly be helpful," Shadow said. "We wouldn't have to worry quite so much about him then."

Sonic nodded and smiled. "Anything he might have inherited from you?"

"All I've got are my Chaos abilities."

"He may inherit those."

Shadow sighed. "How long do you think it'll be before we find out?"

Sonic shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"When it happens, it happens."

Sonic nodded and lay down, putting an arm around his partner. Shadic lay in a crib next to their bed, and they smiled. They were a family now, and nothing would separate them.


	26. The Ring of Power

Chapter 26: The Ring of Power

A few days later, something happened while Shadow was out working. He found a ring on the ground, not like anything he had ever seen. It was a fiery red, with a jewel on it.

Shadow lifted it from its place in the dirt and took a good look at it. With an appearance like that, Shadow figured it had to belong to someone. Someone important. He suddenly had flashbacks on his adventure with Sonic with the One Ring...but this ring didn't look dangerous. Thinking nothing of it, he placed it on his finger.

The scenery around him changed the moment the ring slipped onto his finger. Everything got dark, and he could barely see anything. A sound much like someone speaking floated on the air. Shadow looked back at the ring. It was causing it; he was sure of that. Shadow suddenly felt as thought someone was watching him and looked up from his hand.

His eyes widened in fear as he saw a giant figure; he was chained to a wall but he was menacing. The person was cloaked in black armor that looked a lot like Sauron. When the person looked up, his red eyes pierced Shadow and the hedgehog felt a presence more evil that Sauron. Shadow simply stared, unable to say or do anything. He knew he should leave this man's presence; his fingers were already touching the ring to pull it off. The hedgehog pulled the ring off and gasped, looking at it. He was shaking in fear and ran back to his house, the ring clutched in his hand.

"Sonic!" Shadow yelled as he threw the door open. "I've found something I think you should see!"

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

Shadow opened his hand and Sonic gasped as he saw the ring.

"I found this lying on the ground," Shadow said. "When I put it on, I saw someone. He was chained somewhere dark. The presence he had was much worse than Sauron's. It was darker, more evil."

Sonic gulped. "We must get to Gandalf," he said. "The wizard would know of this."

Shadow nodded. "Do you know where he is?"

"Most likely he is in Rivendell."

"Then let's go to Rivendell. I've missed that place." Shadow looked at Shadic before speaking again. "He coming with us, or do we have to find him a babysitter?"

Sonic thought about it. "We have to take him with us; he'd be upset if we left without him. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. I'm just worried about him. He's only two."

Sonic nodded. "Let's go, then. Whatever that ring is, is must be evil."

Shadow frowned and nodded also. He picked up Shadic before they left the house. Telling the people they were going to Rivendell to see Gandalf didn't take as long, and then they were off.

"Do you want me to transform into a griffin and fly us there?" Sonic asked.

"Go right ahead." Shadow looked down at Shadic and smiled. "He hasn't seen you take other forms yet, has he?"

Sonic shook his head. He closed his eyes and began to transform. His fur turned into blue feathers that covered his entire body. His arms thickened as they became longer, and his fingers merged together into three razor sharp eagle talons, yellow and rough in texture. Soon his feet turned into lion paws and he was forced onto all fours. Sonic's tail grew longer and a tuft of fur appeared at the tip. His neck extended upwards and he felt his face starting to change as it hardened and grew outwards into a downwards pointed beak that was razor sharp at the tip. Sonic arched his back in pain as long eagle wings sprouted from his back. Finally his eyes turned into slits but stayed an emerald green color.

Shadic's eyes widened as he saw Sonic transform into a griffin. Sonic stretched his wings as Shadow climbed onto his back with Shadic, who happily grabbed handfuls of feathers. The griffin screeched and flew into the air, heading towards Rivendell.


	27. Melkor's Ring

Chapter 27: Melkor's Ring

Once they landed, Shadow had some difficulty getting Shadic off of Sonic.

"I think he enjoyed himself," he said.

The griffin nodded and turned back to normal. They walked into Rivendell and saw Elrond, along with Gandalf.

"What a pleasant surprise," Elrond said. "It's been a while since you two were guests here."

Sonic nodded. "We need your help. Shadow found something in Rohan, where we are living."

Shadic saw Elrond and laughed happily. Elrond looked at the baby as Shadow pulled out the ring.

Elrond's eyes widened in fear. "Where did you find that?"

"In the farm I was working in," Shadow said. "Judging by your reaction, I'm guessing it's really bad?"

Elrond nodded and looked at Gandalf; the wizard's eyes showed fear also.

"Who's this one connected to?"

"Melkor, the first Dark Lord," Gandalf said. "He was a Maia who fell into darkness and became evil. We chained him in the Door of Night in the First Age of Middle-Earth, which there is no escape. However, he is prophesied to return."

Shadow exchanged a worried glance with Sonic. "Return how?"

"During Dagor Dagorath, the End of Days," Gandalf told him.

Shadow and Sonic didn't like the sound of that last part.

"When's that?" Sonic asked.

Gandalf shrugged. "Nobody knows. But if you found the ring, then it must be close."

Shadow looked at the ring in his hand. What were they supposed to do about something like that?

"We must defeat Melkor once and for all before Dagor Dagorath, or all will be lost if he success."

Shadow sighed. Not knowing when things were supposed to happen, not knowing how exactly to go about it... It sounded like the usual adventure.

"What shall we do?" Sonic asked.

Gandalf and Shadow looked at him.

"First of all, we should find out just how he plans on getting out of there," Gandalf said. "We'll work from there."

Sonic and Shadow nodded in fear. "And the ring?"

Everyone was silent.

"Destroying the other worked, so should we try destroying this one as well?" Shadow asked.

"Possibly," Gandalf said. "I am not sure. Sauron poured his soul into the One Ring and bound his life force to it but Melkor...he just forged that ring. It does contain evil in it, however. Anyone who is in possession of the ring has control over the entire world. Sauron learned to forge rings from Melkor; he was the Dark Lord's apprentice."

Shadow frowned. He should've known things wouldn't be so easy this time.

"Sauron was Melkor's apprentice?" Sonic asked, surprised.

Gandalf nodded. "Which is one of the reasons we are so concerned with this."

Sonic and Shadow looked at each other, and then at Shadic. The baby looked at Gandalf, who smiled.

"How is it you have a son?" The wizard asked.

"Sonic transformed into a female," Shadow responded without hesitation.

Gandalf's eyes widened. "Interesting," he said.

Elrond nodded. Vaguely, Shadow wondered if he shouldn't have said anything. The wizard smiled, as did Elrond.

"But why is he here?" Elrond asked. "This is too dangerous for a baby."

"We thought it would be best if he came along," Sonic said. "Besides, every time we leave him, he cries. He may have inherited my immortality and shapeshifting."

Elrond chuckled. "Shapeshifting and immortality would be useful," he said. "If you can get him to use it."

Sonic and Shadow looked at Shadic, who giggled happily, and then looked back at Elrond.

"If he's got immortality, he was born with it," Shadow said. "Hopefully, we'll find out what else he's got soon."

Sonic nodded. "He may also have our Chaos powers."

Shadow nodded and looked at the ring in his hand. "We should keep this safe. We don't want Melkor somehow getting a hold of it."

"Keep it with you," Sonic said.

Shadow hesitated, but nodded.

"Are you going to stay a while or leave again?" Elrond asked.

Sonic thought about it and looked at Gandalf. "Where shall we go? If Melkor is coming back..."

"I don't think anywhere would be safe," Shadow interrupted.

Sonic gulped and nodded. "What would happen if you put the ring on?" He asked his partner.

"I...don't know." Shadow shook his head. "Last time, I saw Melkor. I don't know what would happen if I did it again."

Sonic frowned and looked at Gandalf, who spoke. "With the amount of power the ring has, it may very well be capable of corrupting is mind. I'd use caution."

Sonic nodded. "You said whoever has possession of the ring could take over the world."

"Why would I want to control the world? It won't sway me that easily." Shadow said.

"I know," Sonic told him.

Shadow smiled. Shadic made a loud sound as everyone continued ignoring him. He was used to having at least one of his parents paying attention to him. Now, nobody was. Shadow looked at his son and picked him up, patting him on the back. Elrond chuckled and shook his head. Babies would be babies.

"In any case, you're always welcome to stay here," he said.

Sonic and Shadow looked at each other.

"But what about Melkor?" Sonic asked. "If he escapes his prison..."

"Then you should go to the Door of Night. Without knowing when he's supposed to awaken, it's the best course of action."

The two hedgehogs nodded. "Well you come with us?"

Gandalf nodded. "We will go past Angmar and Angbad, and some other cities and mountains."

"Should we try leaving Shadic here?" Shadow asked Sonic. "I'd hate for him to get caught up in something."

Sonic hesitated. "It would be best," he said. "What do you think?"

"I think we should see if Elrond's willing to look after him. He's the only one Shadic knows."

Sonic nodded and looked at Elrond. "Would you be willing to watch Shadic while we are gone?"

Elrond smiled and nodded. "I won't let anything happen to him."

"Good," Sonic said. He looked at Shadow and Gandalf. "Ready to go?"

"Ready." Shadow spoke while Gandalf simply nodded.

They walked out of Rivendell but as soon as they did, Shadic held out his hands and started crying. Elrond looked down at the baby and tried holding him. He smiled and shushed Shadic, then walked into his room and hoped that he would look after Shadic well.


	28. Another Adventure

Chapter 28: Another Adventure

Sonic, Shadow and Gandalf had left Rivendell and were on their way to Angmar.

"How long will it take to reach Angmar?" Sonic asked the wizard.

"A few days."

Sonic nodded and looked at Shadow, who was looking at the ring.

"Are you okay? The ring isn't going to corrupt you, is it?"

"I won't let it." Shadow glared at the ring before shoving it back where he was keeping it. "I was just thinking. Since Sauron's ring gave you some powers, you think this one could do the same thing to some extent?"

"It is possible," Gandalf said.

"Maybe you'll get your Nazgul form back," Sonic told his partner.

"That would be interesting," he said. "Hopefully I'd be able to control myself."

Sonic nodded, and they continued on. "Where is Angband, Gandalf?"

"It is in the region of Beleriand," the wizard said. "It was the fortress that Melkor resided in."

"Will we find anything helpful there?" Shadow asked.

"Perhaps," Gandalf said. "There is one way to defeat Melkor. We need the Silmarils."

Shadow looked at Sonic in confusion. "What are the Silmarils?"

"They are three brilliant jewels composed of the unmarred light. They are extremely powerful. The three Silmarils are in some sense both alive and sacred. They are said to produce their own light but also to reflect the light of any other lights that come near them."

"So, kind of like the Master Emerald," Shadow said. "The light's going to help us defeat Melkor?"

Gandalf nodded. "He once tried to possess the Silmarils but eventually failed. We will have to find them. According to the prophecy, following Melkor's final return in the Dagor Dagorath, the world will be changed and the Silmarils will be recovered by the Valar."

"The world will be changed in a bad way, I'm guessing."

"Only if Melkor wins. If he is defeated, then the world will be renewed by Eru Ilúvatar, the god who created this world."

"What does that mean?"

Gandalf looked at them. "The world shall be remade into a new one."

"What'll happen to everyone here now?" Shadow looked at Sonic as he asked.

"They shall come into the new world."

Sonic looked at Shadow. "So it's kind of like the battle described in the book of Revelation in the Bible."

"That's a relief." Shadow looked back at Gandalf. "You said it was made of three jewels. Are they in the same place, or spread out?"

"They are spread out," Gandalf told him.

Shadow groaned. Things like this could never be easy, could it? A simple, "Here they are, take them!" would've been nice once in a while.

"And we might find their locations in Angband?" Shadow hoped he didn't sound too hopeful.

Gandalf nodded.

"That makes things a little better, I guess."

Shadow pulled out the ring and looked at it again. He closed his eyes and suddenly felt a pull coming from the ring, then put it on. Once more, he saw Melkor. He was still chained to the wall, and Shadow hoped he would stay there a while. That same presence of energy surrounded him.

Melkor looked at him and Shadow could see that the Dark Lord's chains were weakening. Then Melkor spoke. "Now that you have found my ring, I shall be released soon."

Shadow wanted to take the mentioned accessory off as the Dark Lord spoke to him. He ripped the ring off his finger. He looked at Sonic.

"Melkor's chains are weakening," he said.

"You saw him?" Gandalf asked.

"Yes. Both times I put the ring on." Shadow tucked the ring back in place. "He spoke to me this time."

This worried Gandalf. "We must hurry," he said. "If Melkor is released, he will come for the Silmarils."

Sonic and Shadow nodded, and they continued on towards Angmar.


	29. Angmar

Chapter 29: Angmar  


They arrived at Angmar a few days later, as Gandalf had said they would. They looked around, wondering what would happen here.

"Where's the Silmarils supposed to be?" Shadow asked. He kept looking around, expecting something to attack them.

"There may be some transcripts abound here and in Angband," Gandalf said.

Shadow looked around. Suddenly the ring started glowing and he groaned, then transformed into a Nazgul. Shadow looked down at himself in confusion. "Why am I this again?"

"It could be the ring gave you that power," Sonic said.

Gandalf nodded. "Also, Angmar is the home of the Witch King, one of the Nazgul. It is possible because you were a Ringwraith, you have a strong connection to this place."

"At least it could be useful." Shadow looked around the area again. "Which way do we go first?"

Shadow ignored the strange feeling of being a Nazgul again. It would be gone in a few minutes, and he'd be used to it. Gandalf thought about it. He knew that Beleriand was on the west coast of Middle-Earth, and that was where Angband was. Not to mention that the Door of Night was on an island across the ocean.

"First, we should finish checking here," he said. "Then, we'll head over to Angband. Unless we find something here that tells us otherwise."

Sonic and Shadow nodded and started looking around. Soon, Shadow came upon a large tomb, and he knew that it was the grave site of the Witch King. His sword appeared in his hand, and he went into the tomb. Shadow watched his surroundings as he walked. Anything could be down there waiting for him. Suddenly a screech could be heard and Shadow's eyes widened as he saw the spirit of the Witch King. The leader of the Nazgul saw the other Ringwraith and spoke.

"What have you come here for?" The Witch King asked.

Shadow looked at the Witch King and replied. "I was looking for the Silmarils and stumbled upon your tomb."

The Witch King smirked. "I see you are a fellow Nazgul. You may explore my tomb; there may be information you need."

Shadow nodded. The Witch King suddenly vanished and Shadow felt a presence in his mind.

_I have fused with you,_ the Witch King said telepathically. _You and I are now one.  
_

_How long will we be fused?_ Shadow asked in the same way.

_Forever,_ the Witch King said. _Don't worry; I will not harm you or your friends. Go to the burial chamber. There is information left there by Sauron that talks about the Silmarils._

Shadow nodded and proceeded deeper into the tomb. Following the Witch King's directions, he soon found himself in the burial chamber.

_Open the coffin._

Shadow did so. Inside were some manuscripts. He looked at them and saw that they were in Black Speech, but he could read them.

_Maybe I should bring these with me,_ Shadow told the Witch King. _That way I can read them as we go._ Shadow picked up the manuscripts and left the chamber. _Are you the reason I can read these?_

_That is part of it,_ the Witch King said. _You can also read them because you are a Nazgul, and can read the Black Speech, which is the language of Mordor._

_Ah. That makes sense. _Shadow left the tomb and hurried to find Sonic and Gandalf. "I found some manuscripts that can help us! They're written in Black Speech, though. Because I'm a Nazgul, I can read them," he yelled when he saw them.

"Great," Sonic said. "What do they say?"

Shadow looked at the manuscripts and read them. "It says that the Silmaris were made by Feanor in Valinor. One of them is in a fiery pit, and the other two are in the ocean and the sky." Shadow looked up at Gandalf. "Any ideas?"

Gandalf nodded. "The Silmarils are where their elements are...earth, air and water. Most likely they will be found there."

Sonic smirked. "That won't be a problem. I could transform into different creatures and get them."

"Do we search the entire areas then?" Shadow asked.

Gandalf nodded. "That would be best. Did the manuscript say where exactly the Silmarils are?"

Shadow shook his head.

Sonic looked at the Nazgul. "It will be just like searching for the Chaos Emeralds."

"At least with those, there were things we could use to track them." Shadow sighed. "I don't think there's anything like that for these."

"Actually, there is a way to track them," Gandalf said. "They can be sensed by immortals."

Shadow looked at Sonic. "Which way first?"

Sonic thought about it. "You want me to track them because I'm immortal?"

Shadow nodded.

Sonic looked around before concentrating. It took him a few minutes, but he thought he figured it out. "I am sensing one in the sky," he said. "It is near Angband."

Gandalf and Shadow nodded. As they left, Sonic walked up to Shadow.

"I'm just wondering, what happened in the Witch King's tomb?"

"The Witch King found me," Shadow said. "He allowed me to explore his tomb, but not until after he'd taken residence in my mind. He said he won't harm me or my friends. Now, he's going to be there for the rest of my life."

Sonic's eyes widened. "That's cool," he said. "Do you like being a Nazgul again?"

Shadow nodded. "A little. The powers are going to be useful."

"Neat. Hey, would you like me to transform into a female again? I just thought I'd ask; I feel like it, anyway."

"If you feel like it, why ask?" Shadow asked in return. "I won't care."

Sonic nodded and transformed into a female.

Shadow smiled at her. "Lovely as always. How long are you planning to stay in that form this time?"

"Not sure," Sonic said. "Maybe a few days."

"Any particular reason why you want to be a female for the next few days?"

Sonic shrugged. "Not really, just thought I'd try out this form again. It's been a while. Is your Ringwraith form permanent, or can you change back?"

Shadow shook his head. "I have no idea. Why?"

"Just wondering."

Shadow nodded, and the two looked at Gandalf, wondering how long it would take them to get to Angband.

"How long do you think this is going to take us?" Shadow asked. Gandalf turned slightly to look at him.

"I'd say at least a few weeks," the wizards said.

"Would it be better if I flew us there in one of my forms?" Sonic asked.

Gandalf and Shadow thought about it, and they nodded. Sonic concentrated and soon she'd transformed into a dragon. It was the first thing she could think of that was large enough for two people. Gandalf and Shadow climbed onto her back and she set off in the direction of Angband.


	30. The Second Silmaril

Chapter 30: The Second Silmaril

Once they got there, the dragon landed and transformed back to normal after Gandalf and Shadow had gotten off. Sonic looked around, sensing something.

"I can sense a Silmaril," she said. "It's in the sky not far from here. Do you want me to go get it?"

Shadow nodded. Sonic transformed into a falcon, then flew into the air. Sonic was surprised to see that there wasn't anything trying to attack her. With something so powerful nearby, she expected something to be protecting it. Soon she saw the Silmaril hovering in the air and flew towards it, grabbing the jewel in her talons. She then flew back and landed, turning back to normal, then held the Silmaril in her hand. Shadow went to touch it but Gandalf held him back.

"Mortals cannot touch the Silmarils," he said.

"It won't hurt me if I leave it alone, will it?" Shadow's hand retreated as he spoke.

Gandalf shook his head and took the Silmaril in his hand, looking at it. "Now we just have to get the other two," he said.

"Which way do we go now Sonic?" Shadow asked.

Sonic closed her eyes and concentrated. "It's in the ocean," she said, shuddering. "I hate water."

"One of us could get it for you. Just tell me where."

"The ocean is not far from here," she said, and sighed. "I suppose I could transform into an underwater creature and go get it."

"If it's too hard for you, don't go all the way."

Shadow was worried about her. He didn't want her forcing herself into anything she didn't want to do.

"I'll be fine," Sonic said. She transformed into a dragon and lay down, allowing Shadow and Gandalf to get on, and then flew off towards the ocean.

Shadow stroked her scales as they flew. He knew there wasn't much he could do for her to help about the water, but he wanted to try something. A few hours later, they got to the coast. Sonic turned back to normal and gulped, looking out at the water. She sighed and went knee deep in the ocean, and then transformed into a great white shark.

Shadow watched her intently as she dove under, until he couldn't see her any longer. After the speed with which she'd gotten the last one, he expected her to be back just as quickly with this one. Five minutes later, Sonic had resurfaced with the Silmaril in her jaws. She spit it out and turned back to normal, then picked it up.

"One more left," she said.

Shadow nodded and suddenly felt dizzy. The Nazgul put Melkor's ring on and saw Melkor once again. What he saw had him worried. The chains binding Melkor were vanishing as he watched.

Melkor looked up at the Nazgul and grinned. "It is too late," he said as he ripped the chains off. "Now that I am free, Dagor Dagorath will start."

The Nazgul's eyes widened in fear as a shock came from the ring. He tried to take it off but he couldn't; it was stuck on his finger forever. On top of that, Shadow's Nazgul form had become permanent.

"You will be stopped," Shadow said. Holding his sense of bravado before him was something Shadow had always been good at.

Melkor grinned and walked up to him. "I think not," he said.

In a flash of light, the Dark Lord was gone and Shadow was back in the real world; the Nazgul let out a loud screech and looked at Sonic and Gandalf.

"What is it?" Sonic asked. She looked at him in concern.

"Melkor is free," Shadow said. "I can't take this damn thing off either. We're out of time."

Sonic's eyes widened. "What can we do?" She asked.

"We need to find the last Silmaril," Gandalf said. "It is the only way to defeat him. Dagor Dagorath has begun."

She nodded and tried to transform back into a male but for some reason couldn't.

"What's wrong?" Shadow asked when he noticed her expression.

"I...I can't change back to my male form," she said. "Why not? I could before."

"Maybe it's best not to think about it. Not now, anyway."

Sonic sighed and nodded. "Can you change back?"

Shadow shook his head. "The ring's preventing that."

"And you can't take it off at all?"

"No. I tried." Shadow tried to pull the ring from his finger again. It still didn't budge.

Sonic sighed. "Well, at least you have more powers and are in control. We need to find the last Silmaril; I can sense it in a volcano on an island not far from here."

"That island is where the Door of Night is," Gandalf said. "It is also very treacherous, There are many creatures protecting it."

"Finally they make their appearance." Shadow looked at Gandalf. "Is it safe enough for Sonic to fly there, or should we find some other way to get to the island?"

"He...or rather she, sorry...can fly us there. Sonic would have to land on the edge of the island and transform into something else to blend in, like a spider," Gandalf said.

"That is fine," Sonic said.

"Let's do it then."

Sonic nodded and began to transform once again into a eagle. Gandalf and Shadow climbed onto her back and she took off into the sky. At the speed she was flying, it didn't take long for the island to come into view.


	31. Landing on the Island

Chapter 31: Landing on the Island  


Sonic landed and turned back to normal. They looked around cautiously.

"Where do we go?" Sonic asked Gandalf.

Gandalf pointed in the direction of the volcano. "I'm sure there are many creatures between us and the volcano," he said. "We'll just have to go through them or find more creative ways of getting around them."

"I could turn into a Balrog or something else. You suggested a spider?"

Gandalf nodded.

"What kind of spider?" Shadow asked. "She won't be very useful tiny."

"I'll turn myself into a giant one," Sonic said.

Shadow and Gandalf nodded and Sonic transformed into a giant spider. She scuttled off towards the volcano, her eight legs moving very fast. Gandalf and Shadow followed her cautiously, looking around for creatures.

"Where are they all?" Shadow whispered.

"Near the volcano and the Door of Night," Gandalf told him.

The Nazgul nodded, and his sword appeared in his hand. Holding his sword, he once again peered around Sonic. "How far until we get there?"

The spider looked at him.

"I'm just eager to get this over with. When I said adventure, I didn't necessarily mean saving the world. Shadic's probably missing us too."

Sonic nodded and she went towards the volcano. Hearing something to the left, Shadow turned in time to see something jumping at him. His sword came up in time to prevent him from being hit, but the blow pushed him back. It was a giant black widow spider. He stabbed it with his sword and it fell to the ground, dead. Suddenly, more spiders, along with fell creatures, swarmed out towards them. Sonic, still in her giant spider form, came to help.

Blasts of magic rained down on the monsters as well as Gandalf pitched in. With all the spiders attacking them, it soon got to the point where Shadow kept worrying he'd hit Sonic.

Sonic turned back to normal and then she turned into a bear. Shadow was relieved, though not just because he didn't have to worry any more. A bear would be more useful than a spider. Shadow kept up his attacking as she did the same. The bear that was Sonic continued to attack, killing the spiders with its fangs and claws. It took a while, but they finally had the remaining creatures retreating for the time being. Shadow kept his sword in his hand, prepared for another attack. Gandalf was on edge as well, holding his sword in one hand and his staff in the other.

They looked around but didn't see anything. Sonic snorted and continued on towards the volcano with Gandalf and Shadow following behind.

"What do we do once we get this one? Find Melkor?" Shadow asked.

"Yes," Gandalf said. "Now that he is out of his prison, he could be anywhere."

Shadow hesitated and nodded. They reached the volcano and looked around. Shadow had his fingers on the ring again, wondering if he should use it to see Melkor again. He closed his eyes as a bright glow came from his finger where the ring was. When he opened them again, he could see Melkor. The Dark Lord was no longer in his prison; he was free, and had left the Door of Night. Shadow looked around to see if he could figure out where the Dark Lord was.

He saw that Melkor was gathering his army. Also, Melkor's power was destroying the sun and the moon. The Dark Lord saw the Nazgul and spoke. "You can do nothing to stop me." Melkor saw the ring on Shadow's finger and sneered. "It seems that my ring has chosen you as its new bearer," he said. "You will be in you Nazgul form forever, and the ring can never be taken off. It will corrupt your mind until you have become the new Dark Lord."

"I won't," Shadow said. "My mind won't be corrupted again."

"Are you sure of that?" Melkor asked. "You are a Nazgul; a creature of darkness. There will always be darkness in your heart that you will never be rid of."

Shadow looked down at the ring once again. Why was it always him? He turned his gaze back up to Melkor. "I can control it."

Melkor laughed and replied. "You will lose this battle in the end. No one can control their darkness forever."

Shadow glared at him and returned to the real world. He heard the Witch King's voice in his head. _It will be hard for you._

He glared at no one in particular. The Nazgul sighed and shook his head, then looked at Gandalf.

"What is it?" The wizard asked.

"Melkor is gathering his army," Shadow said. "He told me that we won't be able to win, and that I was going to become the next Dark Lord."

Gandalf's eyes widened. Sonic heard this also and turned around, turning back to normal.

"I don't want that to happen," she said.

"It won't happen," Shadow assured her.

Sonic nodded and they continued on towards the volcano. When they got there, Shadow could feel the heat and knew that fire was one of his weaknesses, so he had to stay away.

"I'll wait here, guys."

Gandalf and Sonic nodded. Sonic closed her eyes and transformed into a Balrog, then went into the volcano to look for the Silmaril. This time, there were the creatures she'd been expecting. They didn't last long, however. What did take a while was finding the Silamril. It was buried in the depths of the volcano, covered by magma and rock. Sonic sighed as she got to work digging it out. Even in the form she had, it took longer than she would have liked. The Balrog took her ax and started hacking away at the earth. Soon, Sonic had took the Silmaril out and walked out of the volcano.

"Took longer than the others," Shadow said. "Where was it?"

"Deep in the magma," Sonic said as she returned to normal. "Now we have all three."

Gandalf and Shadow nodded. The Nazgul looked at her and wondered if she could become male again.

"Can you become male again?" Shadow asked.

"I can try," Sonic said.

Shadow nodded and watched. Sonic concentrated hard and tried to turn back into a male. No matter how hard she tried, nothing happened. She looked at herself in confusion and then at Shadow. "I can't transform back to my normal male form," she said. "Why...why not?"

Shadow thought about it. "Maybe it's got something to do with the ring as well?" He knew it wasn't likely.

Sonic shook her head; that wasn't it. "Any other ideas?"

Shadow suddenly thought about the time when Sonic tried to turn back after being a female for a few months after giving birth. "Maybe it's like after you gave birth to Shadic," he said. "You've been female long enough for your body to want to stay that way."

"But I've only been a female for a few days," she said. "That isn't as long as when I was a female before."

Shadow shrugged. It was the only other reason he could come up with. "In that case, I have no idea."

Sonic nodded and sighed. "Oh well," she said. "This form isn't bad, but I prefer my male form."

The Nazgul smiled and walked up to her, wondering if he should kiss Sonic. Without giving any more thought to it, Shadow captured her lips with his own. Sonic's eyes widened and closed her eyes; it was a strange sensation. She could feel Shadow's lips but couldn't see his face because it was hidden in that black cloak he was wearing. Shadow pressed as close to her as he dared, wrapping his arms around her as well. It had been a while since he'd kissed Sonic.

The two kissed for a while before pressing themselves up against a tree, and started to make out. Shadow ran his hands down Sonic's sides. One hand moved to hers and entwined their fingers. Sonic moved her hands down Shadow's sides and the two kissed passionately. Gandalf watched in amusement before turning away, giving them their privacy.

Shadow pressed his body against Sonic's, wishing he could feel more of her. In the back of his mind, he knew now really wasn't the time, but he couldn't help himself. The two moved their hands down their bodies and Sonic pushed Shadow down to the ground. Shadow pulled his mouth from hers as they landed. His hands continued to roam her body before finally stopping on her hips.

Sonic smiled. "Keep going," she said. "I'm enjoying this."

Shadow hesitated and nodded. Pressing up against her, Shadow moved his hands down to her thighs. Sonic smirked as she moved his hands lower across the Nazgul's body. She shuddered in apprehension as Shadow moved down her body. Flipping, he had her on the ground before his lips and hands covered her body in appreciation. Shadow kissed her face as his hips moved against hers. Hands gripped her legs. She gasped and looked at the Nazgul. Shadow smiled and continued. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Shadow resumed kissing her. The next time he pulled away, Sonic got a strange look on her face,and looked very sick.

"What's wrong?" The Nazgul asked.

"I...I don't..feel so...good," she said, and immediately fell unconscious.


	32. The Black Breath

Chapter 32: The Black Breath

Shadow was startled, he had no idea what just happened. "Gandalf! Something's wrong with Sonic!"

The wizard looked at Sonic and ran up to her. He examined her for a moment before looking at Shadow. "She's contracted the Black Breath. Do you know what you've done?" He asked sternly.

"The Black Breath? I didn't mean to." Shadow looked back at Sonic.

"You know what that is, right?"

Shadow gulped and nodded. "It's a disease when coming into contact with a Nazgul after long periods of time," he said "It causes unconsciousness, and a period of hallucination-like nightmares which progresses to a coma and hypothermia. The victim dies after a few days. But we can save her, right?"

The wizard nodded. "We need Kingsfoil...Atheles."

Shadow looked at Sonic and saw that she was convulsing. "Sonic?" he shouted. He went to touch her before pulling back out of fear that he would hurt her. "Where can we find it?"

"I will find some," the wizard said, and ran off. Shadow looked down at Sonic, feeling guilty.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Shadow hung his head. He'd poisoned her, and all because he hadn't been paying attention. Gripping one of her hands, Shadow felt the guilt pressing down on him. He stroked his thumb over her hand and looked at her face.

Sonic was pale; she was cold to the touch too. Shadow was in constant worry; what was happening to his partner?

"You'll be all right." He said it more for himself than her. It was better than admitting that she had a good chance of dying on him.

Sonic continued to have convulsions and let out screams of agony. Then, she stopped and lay still.

"Sonic?" Shadow leaned forward and stared at her in fear. He looked around for Gandalf.

A few minutes later, Gandalf came back with Kingsfoil. He saw Sonic and he gasped. Gandalf frowned and tried to heal Sonic with the Atheles plant but it wouldn't work.

"This is worse than I thought," Gandalf said.

"What can we do?" Shadow asked. "There has to be a way to fix this." Every second that passed, Shadow hated himself more and more.

Gandalf hesitated; the Kingsfoil was no use now. He thought about it and replied. "I am not sure," he said. "She has a more...fatal...condition of the Black Breath called the Black Shadow."

"Will that one kill her too?" Shadow hadn't wanted to ask. But he had to know.

"I am afraid so."

Shadow swallowed as he looked down at her once more. Stroking a hand over her face, he silently apologized again. "How long does she have?"

"A few days at most," Gandalf said, looking at the Nazgul. "I am sorry."

"Sonic's immortal," he said. "So, she'll be fine."

The wizard hesitated. "The Black Breath is a supernatural disease made of pure evil," he said. "Even immortals can be affected."

Shadow looked at him, shocked. There had to be something they could do. "How am I supposed to save her then? I can't just let her die!" Shadow tried calling to the Witch King living in his mind. If anyone could provide help, it was him.

_What is it?_ The Witch King asked.

_Sonic's got the Black Shadow, and I want to know how to save her. _The Nazgul asked.

_You tried Kingsfoil, and that didn't work?_

_It didn't._

The Witch King sighed. _That is the only known cure, I am afraid._

Shadow bit his lower lip. _Isn't there anything I can do? Gandalf said that even her immortality might not save her._

_There is nothing you can do. The elves might be able to heal her but they have tried before and have not been successful._

Shadow couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't want to lose Sonic. Especially not like this. He didn't say anything, just moved over to her and took her hand once more. _What about the Silmarils? Can they do anything?_

_I have no idea,_ the Witch King told him. _But you cannot touch them; if you did, you would be burned and die._

_What if Gandalf tries?_ Shadow was willing to try anything at this point.

_He can touch them, yes._

Shadow broke the connection with the Witch King and looked at Gandalf. "Can you try using the Silmarils?"

Gandalf nodded. "I am not sure if they will work but I can try." He picked up the two Silmarils and closed his eyes, concentrating. They glowed brightly as Shadow watched in awe. A few minutes, however, their light failed. Gandalf frowned and shook his head. "The evil illness inside Sonic is too great," he said, and looked at Shadow. "I have a feeling that the Black Breath you have has been enhanced by Melkor's ring."

Shadow glared at the ring on his finger. If it wasn't for that, Sonic would be fine. He sighed before speaking again. "What should we do? I don't want to leave her here. But we have to stop Melkor."

"We must continue on," the wizard said. "Sonic still has a few days left to live but she is in critical condition."

Shadow nodded and stood up. He picked Sonic up and looked at her, feeling even more guilty. In a few days time, she would die, and there was nothing they could do.


	33. Deal With the Devil

Chapter 33: Deal with the Devil

"Where are we going?" Shadow asked. He had no idea where they were supposed to go after Melkor. He tried to put the grim situation from his mind.

"We must go to the Door of Night," Gandalf said. "And find out where Melkor went."

Shadow nodded and looked at the ring on his finger. Maybe he could use it to see where the Dark Lord was. Concentrating, Shadow soon found himself looking upon the Dark Lord. He glared at the man before looking to see where they were.

"My army is ready," Melkor said.

Shadow looked around and saw that they were in Angband. "Your army will fall." Shadow didn't know if he fully believed it himself, but he felt better saying it.

"We shall see."

Shadow closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was back in the real world.

"What did you see?" Gandalf asked.

"Melkor's army is ready. He's in Angband," the Nazgul said.

"Then that is where we shall go."

Shadow nodded and looked at Sonic. "What do we do with Sonic? I don't think it would be smart to bring her with us."

Gandalf sighed and looked at Sonic. "She is very sick, Shadow. We may have to leave her here."

Shadow looked around at the surroundings. "I don't want to leave her where something can eat her."

"I'll put a protective spell around her so nothing can get her."

Shadow was worried. What if Sonic died? Shadow gave her a light kiss before pulling away and leaving her on the ground. Gandalf said a spell and a light shone over Sonic. Shadow sighed in relief. She was going to be all right. Mostly. He looked at Gandalf; he had to know how much time Sonic had left.

"How much time does she have left?" Shadow asked.

Gandalf hesitated and looked at Sonic. "The illness has progressed faster than I though, so I'd say at least an hour. She's already in a coma."

Shadow almost demanded they stayed until then. He didn't want to be away from her when it happened. But Middle-Earth needed them to defeat Melkor.

Gandalf sighed. "You can stay here if you want; I know how much she means to you."

Shadow looked at the wizard. "But I should help you. I can't leave you to do it by yourself." Even as he said it, his hand moved toward Sonic.

"I can take care of myself," Gandalf said, smiling. "I've faced him before."

"I know you can. I just thought..." Shadow stopped and looked at Sonic. After a moment he looked back at Gandalf. "Well then, kick his ass."

Gandalf nodded and teleported off. Shadow sighed and looked at Sonic, stroking her face.

"I'll take good care of Shadic," he promised. Shadow frowned as he tried to think of what to tell their son. He couldn't just tell him what had happened. He wouldn't understand. "Why did I do this to you? I should never have kissed you in this form."

He sighed and kissed her lightly, then sat by her. He had to spend the time before she was gone.

Shadow stroked his fingers through her quills and talked to her. Wondering what Shadic was doing now, asking how he would tell their baby his mother was dead, and apologizing so often he was starting to annoy himself with it. Minutes passed, and Shadow began to lose track of time. He looked at Sonic once more and gasped. She wasn't breathing. Shadow tried to feel a pulse but there wasn't one.

"Sonic?" Shadow leaned over her, desperately searching again to make sure he'd felt correctly. He still didn't get a pulse.

He gasped as tears came to the Nazgul's eyes. It couldn't be...Sonic was dead, and it was all his fault. Shadow felt unbearable sadness and guilt weighing down on him. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. Just like then, he didn't like the feeling. Shadow felt the tears fall down his cheeks and didn't bother to wipe them away.

"I should see how the fight's going," Shadow muttered to himself. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw Melkor. "You're still here," he said.

Melkor nodded. "Your friend is putting up quite the fight," he said. "I can tell that your partner has died. What would you say if I know of a way to...bring her back?"

This peaked Shadow's interest. "You can bring Sonic back?" Shadow didn't care how hopeful he sounded.

"In a way," Melkor said. "I will give you the power of necromancy."

Shadow paused at the word necromancy. He knew what it meant, what people generally thought of it. But if it meant he could have Sonic again. "All right. What do I have to do?"

"Give in to the darkness in your heart and become my evil servant!"

Shadow definitely needed to pause at that. Sonic meant almost everything to him. But was she worth becoming evil?

Melkor smirked. "If you decline, you shall never see your beloved again and she will be in the Void forever.

"All right. I'll do it."

The Dark Lord smirked and chuckled. Suddenly, the ring on Shadow's finger began to glow and he shuddered in pain. Shadow looked at the ring, pain in his eyes. He looked back at Melkor. The Nazgul could feel the darkness in his heart growing; he was becoming more evil by the second. The ring glowed even brighter. Shadow winced again as he felt the ring affecting him more and more. Soon after, he had become Melkor's servant.

Shadow looked at his master, his eyes now blood-red. The Nazgul bowed before the Dark Lord and spoke. "What do I do now, Master?"

"Stay at the island for now. The battle has not yet begun; I shall summon you when needed. You are a necromancer now."

Shadow nodded and opened his eyes. He looked at Sonic's body and saw that it had vanished into the Void. He sighed and knew that he had to do this to bring her back. If it would enable him to see Sonic again, he would do anything. He closed his eyes, thinking about her...and their son. How was he going to tell Shadic that Sonic was dead? Shadow hated to think what was going to happen when he saw Shadic again.

Would his son be scared now that he was a Nazgul forever? What would happen? He didn't know. The Nazgul sighed and thought about his new necromancer powers; he could summon Sonic's spirit and talk to her. Shadow concentrated on his new powers. He was generally good at figuring out how to use things. After a few minutes, he had Sonic standing before him.


	34. Necromancy

Chapter 34: Necromancy

The Nazgul saw that Sonic was back in his male form. The spirit looked around, confused.

"Shadow?" He asked. "What happened? Why am I here? I'm dead."

"I'm so happy to see you," Shadow said. He smiled at Sonic. "I summoned you, Sonic." Shadow reached out a hand, wondering if he could touch Sonic.

"Summoned me? How?"

"Necromancy. I missed you so much..."

Sonic's eyes widened. "H...how? That magic is dark, and very evil! What have you done?"

Shadow drew back a little. "I became Melkor's servant..." Shadow's voice was low.

Sonic gasped and floated up to him. "Why...?" He asked, sadness in his voice.

"...To see you again." Shadow couldn't look at Sonic. He should've known the other would've been upset with him. "I wanted to talk to you. I didn't mean to kill you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Sonic told him. "It was an accident. Take care of our son, will you?"

Shadow nodded. "I don't know how to tell him that I killed his mother."

Sonic hesitated. "What are you going to do for Melkor? Help him take over Middle-Earth when Dagor Dagorath comes?"

Shadow shook his head. "I have no idea. He told me he would call me when he needed me. Why?"

Sonic turned away from him.

"Sonic?" Shadow went around him to see his face.

Shadow saw the spirit was crying and he looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Shadow had the horrible feeling Sonic's tears were his fault.

"You...joining Melkor...just to get me back."

Shadow looked at the ground briefly before looking back at Sonic. "I know it wasn't the smartest idea, but..."

"But what?" Sonic asked, turning around to face the Nazgul and yelling at him angrily. "I know you want me back, but this isn't the right way! You're going to help Melkor, just like you helped Sauron! You turned evil just because of me?"

Shadow knew Sonic was right. Expecting the other to yell at him some more, Shadow responded. "I hadn't planned on it. I don't want to help him."

Sonic nodded. "Well, there's nothing you can do about it now. You can become good again. Please, Shadow...do it for me."

The spirit vanished, leaving Shadow to think about what he said. He didn't want to help Melkor any more than Sonic wanted him to. It wouldn't be easy to become good again. Shadic needed him to as well, though. Shadow sat on the ground and thought of how he would go about doing so.

A few minutes later, Gandalf came back. "Shadow, Melkor has a massive army. I need you to help me."

The Nazgul thought about it and looked at Gandalf, shaking his head. "I don't think I can," he said. "Melkor would be able to stop me." At least, Shadow assumed Melkor would be able to.

Gandalf frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I became his servant," he said.

The wizard's eyes widened in fear and he glared at Shadow, speaking to him sternly. "Why did you do such a foolish thing?" he asked.

Shadow told him. "I wanted to see Sonic again. It was stupid and foolish, and I should've thought it through." Shadow looked at the ground. "I was desperate."

Gandalf glared at him. "So, he made you a necromancer. That is very evil magic, but I should have known that you would do something like this."

Shadow felt as though he was a child getting scolded for doing something he wasn't supposed to do. "I don't suppose you know of a way to reverse this kind of stupidity? I summoned Sonic to talk to him and he was pretty angry with me, too."

Gandalf frowned and shook his head. "I am afraid not. Dagor Dagorath will start soon, and now he has you also."

"I've got to think of some way to fix this." Shadow ran his finger over the ground as he thought.

Gandalf shook his head and spoke. "I doubt there is anything you can do. Melkor's grasp isn't so easy to get out of."

The Nazgul sighed and nodded. He looked at the ring on his finger and tried to pull it off but couldn't. Suddenly, head Melkor's voice in his head.

_The battle is beginning. Come._

Shadow nodded and looked at Gandalf, then closed his eyes and vanished, appearing in Angband.


	35. The Battle Begins

Chapter 35: The Battle Begins

Shadow looked around. He sighed and walked up to Melkor, bowing. "Where do you require my talents, Master?" he asked.

The Dark Lord smirked. "Summon the evil spirits of the dead; they will help us."

Shadow nodded. He saw Gandalf standing with an army of elves and men across from Melkor's, and wondered where he got them. The thought drifted from his mind and he nodded to his master. Concentrating, Shadow focused on pulling the evil spirits from all around them to join them. Every one in the area was soon mingling into the army Melkor already had. Shadow stood in wait for Melkor's next command.

The Dark Lord grinned. "Call upon the power of your ring and you shall become filled with evil. Then we shall fight."

Shadow looked at the ring with hesitation. He didn't want to lose himself. That wouldn't help maters at all.

"Do it!" Melkor commanded. "When you do, you shall become the next Dark Lord if I have fallen!"

The Nazgul hesitated some more and then nodded, closing his eyes to concentrate. Shadow could feel the energy and power welling up inside him as he concentrated on the ring. He could feel evil energy stir inside him; it was even more powerful than he imagined. A red glow surrounded the ring and poured its evil energy into his body.

Shadow winced as so much energy was poured into his body. He could feel the evil corrupting him as he tried to hold onto himself. The Nazgul's body began to glow a dark red and he screamed as his mind became corrupted. He sneered evilly and chuckled, his sword appearing in his hand. He was eager to throw himself at the enemy lines and test his powers now.

The Nazgul shrieked in rage and attacked with speed and ferocity, using his new powers that the ring had given him. Everything in his way was cut down. Gandalf's eyes widened in fear as Shadow was coming towards him. He sighed and frowned; the Nazgul was an enemy now, and had to be stopped. Melkor had to be defeated. Shadow was enjoying this immensely. His laughter rang through the air as he continued slashing and blasting everything in range. The more ground he covered, the more he enjoyed it. He was growing more evil by the second.

Gandalf knew he had to step in before Shadow's evil power got too great. The wizard held the three Silmarils out before him and closed his eyes. They glowed but soon failed. Shadow's rage and evil was already to great to stop; the ring had enhanced that greatly. Gandalf frowned as his only plan failed. Shadow was tearing through the battlefield with a kind of frenzy he wasn't sure they could stop. It would take a lot to bring the Nazgul down. That much, he was certain of. The wizard drew his sword and ran towards the Nazgul, intending on stopping him.

Shadow turned as Gandalf attacked him. He sneered at the wizard. There was no way he would lose. His powers were too great. The Nazgul yelled in fury and began to attack the wizard. Gandalf countered the Nazgul's attacks to the best of his abilities whenever he was given the chance. Shadow's rage increased with every counter the wizard made.

Shadow screeched in both rage and hatred at the wizard, fighting ferociously. He knocked Gandalf down and aimed his sword at the wizard. Gandalf threw a blast of fire up at the Nazgul, forcing him to move back to avoid getting hurt. Shadow growled in anger as Gandalf got to his feet once more. The wizard wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up.

The Nazgul sneered and attacked once more, using the power of the ring to his advantage. He closed his eyes and summoned more evil spirits to distract the wizard.

Gandalf looked around at the spirits Shadow had summoned. With the Nazgul having this much backup, Gandalf began to wonder how he was going to defeat the other. The Nazgul was not the main enemy, however. Melkor was. Nevertheless, Gandalf had to defeat Shadow, who was too far gone. The ring had corrupted him fully, and the Nazgul was on his way to becoming the next Dark Lord.


	36. A New Dark Lord

Chapter 36: A New Dark Lord

Gandalf had to come up with something fast, before he ran out of energy. Nothing would be able to stop him if he became the next Dark Lord. The wizard closed his eyes and said a spell, casting it at the Nazgul. Shadow growled and moved to avoid it.

The Nazgul charged up his own magic. Gandalf saw what the Nazgul was planning and started thinking of a way to counter it. He put a shield around his body, hoping that the spells Shadow cast would not harm him. The Nazgul shrieked and used his ring to increase his evil magic. As he held his shield around him, Gandalf wondered if trying to talk to the Nazgul would do any good.

"Shadow, please! This darkness is corrupting you! We need you to come back!"

Shadow paused for a moment before launching into another set of attacks.

Gandalf sighed and spoke again. "Would Sonic want you to do this?" he asked. Gandalf knew it was a little low to bring Sonic into it, but he couldn't think of anything else.

The Nazgul paused and hesitated, then hung his head and replied. "No, he wouldn't."

"Then why are you doing this? Is it because Melkor promised you power to bring him back? Think about Shadic!"

"I am thinking about Shadic," Shadow snapped. "He needs his mother as much as he needs me. Without Sonic, our lives won't be complete."

"But this isn't the way!" Gandalf exclaimed. "If you become evil, you will only make things worse for them."

The Nazgul glared at him angrily. "There is no other way. For Shadic to have the life he deserves, I have to do this."

Gandalf sighed. He tried to reason with Shadow, but it proved futile. Melkor chuckled and spoke.

"It's too late, wizard," Melkor said. "Shadow has made his choice, and nothing can stop him."

Gandalf's eyes widened. Suddenly, a bright light shone and Sonic's ghost appeared. He looked at Shadow, tears in his eyes. "Shadow, please...it's not to late. You have to fight it. What will Shadic do with no parents? If you continue down this path, that is what will happen!"

Shadow looked at Sonic when he heard the other's voice. "Sonic...I can't do it without you."

Sonic looked at his partner. "What do you mean?"

Shadow shook his head. "I can't properly care for Shadic without you. He needs both his parents."

"I can't, Shadow! I'm dead; I don't belong in the world of the living anymore! I can only come here if you summon me! Besides if you become a Dark Lord, you won't see Shadic! What happened to the man I knew and loved?"

Shadow looked as though Sonic's words had slapped him. "I'm right here, Sonic! I'm still myself."

Sonic turned away. "Shadow...you're evil now, and I can't follow down that path. I love you. If you become the next Dark Lord...you'll be corrupted forever!"

Shadow looked at the ghost. He could tell that Sonic was truly heartbroken. He hated seeing Sonic like that. Shadow closed his eyes as he thought over everything that had been happening. Melkor wanted him to become the next Dark Lord. Sonic told him he'd never be able to see those he cared about again. Sonic and Shadic were everything to him.

He sighed; Sonic was right. Before he could speak, though, Melkor interrupted. "This is all very touching," he sneered. "But unnecessary. Shadow, cast him back into the Void forever!"

Shadow's eyes widened. He closed his eyes, hearing what Melkor said, and was instantly filled with rage and hatred at those words. Turning, he thrust his sword into the Dark Lord's chest. Melkor gasped and sneered, then began to laugh in triumph, falling to the ground, dead.

Sonic gasped. "Shadow...what...what have you done?"

Shadow stared at the body lying before him.

"I killed him," he told Sonic. "He wanted me to kill you and..."

He was instantly filled with remorse for his actions. Shadow looked at Sonic, his head lowered in shame. Suddenly, the ring on his finger activated, glowing brightly. A dark aura surrounded Melkor and then flew into Shadow's body, causing him to yell and scream in pain. He looked at Sonic.

"I'm sorry," he said. Shadow wanted to reach out to Sonic, but the pain wouldn't allow it. Shadow squeezed his eyes shut as the pain continued.

The glow intensified as it bathed Shadow in a red light, and the dark aura continued to flow into his body. Shadow fought to keep his mind as he felt the darkness trying to take control.

"Can't I have my own mind?" Shadow snarled through the pain.

Soon, his mind broke as darkness flooded his body, taking control. Shadow looked around once the darkness had taken control. The glow died down, and everyone gasped. Shadow had grown taller. Pitch black armor surrounded his body, and his eyes were pure red.

"S...Shadow?" Sonic asked, afraid.

The new Dark Lord looked around and laughed evilly. Nothing would be able to stop him from conquering all of Middle-Earth. His sword appeared in his hand as he decided what to take care of first. Sonic gasped in fear as he witnessed Shadow's transformation. The Dark Lord moved forwards, creating a presence that was more evil that both Melkor and Sauron.

Gandalf sighed. Shadow had turned down the path of evil, and had thus made it much harder to save Middle-Earth. The Dark Lord smirked and looked around. He would not start now. Shadow would wait, bide his time, until everything was ready. Soon, he would return. He teleported out of the area to make his plans elsewhere.


	37. Sonic's Final Decision

Chapter 37: Sonic's Final Decision  


Sonic was sobbing. The ghost looked at Gandalf. "Why did this happen?"

"He was overcome with emotion at the order Melkor had given him to get rid of you," he said. "Melkor had planned on it."

Sonic nodded. "He didn't want to send me back to the Void; I could see it in his eyes."

"And now he is the most evil Dark Lord Middle-Earth has ever had," Gandalf told him. "Middle-Earth is no longer safe. The end has begun." The wizard doubted there was much that could be done, but they couldn't stand by and let it happen.

Sonic nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Gandalf thought about it before nodding. "You could stay as a ghost," he said. "I've got a spell that could keep you here."

Sonic smiled. "Yeah, that would be awesome! Will anyone see me, or will I be invisible? What about Shadic?"

"Some might be able to see you. As for Shadic, you could at least watch over him."

The ghost sighed in relief. "Do it, then. Cast the spell."

Gandalf pulled the energy required for the spell and cast it at Sonic, who felt the spell hit him, and felt himself being tied to the mortal world.

"How do you feel?" Gandalf asked.

"Excellent," Sonic said. "It's a pity I can't truly come back to life, though. I still have my shapeshifting powers even as a ghost, right?"

Gandalf nodded. "We need to keep a watch on things in Middle-Earth," the wizard said. "When Shadow makes his move, we need to be ready."

"Then that is what we shall do."

"Shadic may be able to help us as well. We just need to make sure he doesn't follow his father."

Sonic nodded. "We can't have him finding out that Shadow is the Dark Lord," he said. "It would upset him greatly."

"I shall inform Elrond of this turn of events." Gandalf smiled at Sonic. "I won't say what exactly has happened to Shadow, in case Shadic overhears us."

Sonic nodded. "I'll come with you."

The two returned to Rivendell, where Elrond was waiting for them. When he saw only Gandalf, he frowned.

"What has happened?" he asked. Shadic looked around for his parents as the adults spoke.

Gandalf sighed and told him. "Sonic and Shadow have both died. Melkor is dead, but a new Dark Lord has risen in his place."

Elrond's eyes widened. "That...that is grave news," he said.

Shadic heard this and began to cry. Sonic sighed and materialized in front of him and Elrond so they could see him. Shadic continued crying, reaching up into the air for someone to pick him up. Sonic smiled and floated up to him. Shadic saw Sonic and held out his arms, wanting to be held. Elrond saw Sonic also and sighed, then looked at Gandalf.

"I assume there's a reason he's still here and not Shadow?"

Gandalf nodded and led Elrond into another room, closing the door so that Shadic couldn't hear them. "Shadow has become the next Dark Lord," he said. "Sonic wishes to help matters."

Elrond's eyes widened. "How...how did he become a new Dark Lord? What happened, and how did Sonic die?"

"After we found the last of the Silmarils, Shadow accidentally used the Black Breath on Sonic. It was more powerful than I had thought, and even Kingsfoil did not cure him. I had gone on alone, as Shadow wished to be with Sonic in his final hours." Gandalf paused then and sighed. "After Sonic's death, Shadow became Melkor's servant in return for the powers of necromancy; Melkor had promised to bring Sonic back. In the battle afterward, he killed Melkor in a fit of anger because Melkor had ordered him to take care of Sonic, and all the Dark Lord's powers were transferred to him. Now, Sonic wishes to help us, and Shadic must never find out what has transpired."

Elrond nodded. "We must do everything we can to make sure Shadow does not take over Middle-Earth."

The wizard sighed. "We will need everything we can muster," he said. "Shadow is the most powerful Dark Lord Middle-Earth has ever had."

Elrond closed his eyes, concentrating. He nodded. "All the races of Middle-Earth will have to be together on this," he said. "It won't be easy."

Gandalf nodded, and they walked back outside. Sonic was playing with Shadic, who was laughing. Gandalf cleared his throat, and the ghost looked at him and Elrond.

"We should get started on the details," Gandalf said.

Sonic nodded. "Go ahead."

"What do you want to do?" Gandalf asked. "Are you going to stay here with Shadic?"

"Yes," Sonic said. "I'll take him back to our house in Rohan and watch over him. What about you and Elrond?"

"We're going to get to work preparing the people of Middle-Earth. We don't know when," Elrond paused, "the Dark Lord will begin his attacks."

Sonic nodded and looked at Shadic. "I'll see you soon, then." He closed his eyes, fturned solid, transformed into a giant eagle and allowed his son to get on, then flew off towards Rohan. Gandalf and Elrond looked at each other.

"Will he be able to do this on his own? He is dead, after all." Gandalf asked.

Elrond nodded. "I am sure he can. You could visit them once in a while."

Gandalf gave the elf a smile. He'd do just that when he thought it was necessary. The two nodded and watched the ghost eagle fly off in the distance. When the time came when Shadow reappeared, they would know, and all of Middle-Earth would be ready.


End file.
